Rise of the Guardians: The New Era
by CrypticClandestine
Summary: "Our name does not define us." Bloodline was never a factor for her.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Look out!" A girl of fiery red hair said, dodging a huge dark tendril. Her fellow fighters obliged to her warning, and dodged the vein. The girl grasped her bow, and tried to hit the one causing the misfortune. But before she could fire, a gust of black shadow sent her back, causing her to collide with her brunette friend.

"Are you alright?" The brunette asked, looking into her green eyes. The redhead nodded submissively as she stood up, clutching her bow; she then charged back into battle. The brunette flicked her hands, creating a beam of color freckled light in her palms. She sent the laminated balls to the shadows, attempting to spur it out. But to no avail, the shadow charged for her instead. "Help! Rianne!"

Rianne, a blonde girl with golden eyes, gasped as she saw all the shadow horses swarm to her friend. She sent a tendril of iridescent sand to her friend's position, making all the shadow horses burst into black sand. Rianne smiled as she saw her friend get back on her feet. But in that triumph came another tragedy; a dark vein swirled around Rianne's arm, immediately making her fall to the ground. A black haired girl with pale skin caught her amidst the fight, and set her safely to the ground.

"Everyone fall back!" An old man with white beard yelled to his colleagues. From his coat of red and white, he took out an opaque ball and shook it gently. He then threw it, creating a portal. He ran to the portal's mouth, and directed everybody inside; a huge bunny, a faerie of green and colorful feathers, a stout man in gold, and a boy with frost hair. "Girls get in!"

"Yeah, just a sec, Santa!" The pale girl said with a smirk, dispersing a shadow with a dagger. She raised her hand, creating a wall of silver sand. She turned to her friends. "You heard, Nick. Retreat!"

The girls all headed to the portal, but the wall was dispersed in doing so. As Rianne went in, the old man placed his foot inside the portal. The brunette followed in the portal, dodging another dark tendril in the process. The old man skidded further in the portal, with just two more girls left on the run. Another tendril charged at them. The redhead immediately dodged it, but the unlike her' the man did not. He was sent further down into the portal, leaving the girls. With each moment passing, the portal was slowly dispersing. With just a few meters away from the portal, another shadow came in the way. The pale girl deflected it, making it disperse into the wind; at the same time giving the redhead time to get in the portal. The redhead placed the bottom half of her body in the portal, while the upper part held her hand out, reaching for her friend that's meters away. As the pale girl ran, sticking her hand out, tendrils and shadows were on her trail. With the portal now merely big enough to fit the redhead's face, the pale girl ran as fast as she could; but just when she could reach her friend's hand.

The portal closed.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"North, you have to see this!" A feathery girl cried, fluttering across a busy workshop. She zoomed past yetis twice her size, and elves half her size alike. Reaching a huge wooden door, she burst in yelling at the poor guardian inside. "North you have to see this!"

"I heard you downstairs, Tooth!" A man with a long white beard, North, yelled back clearly frustrated; his Russian accent strong. He furrowed his eyebrows while looking down at pieces, of what seemed like a train, down on the floor. "And haven't you heard of knocking?"

"Yes, I'm so sorry about that, but you really have to see this!" Tooth pleaded at the man. North crossed his arms, and raised his eyebrow at her; not convinced. Tooth rolled her eyes, and groaned. "It's Manny!"

North's eyes went bulge as he shoved Tooth aside. He immediately went downstairs with the fairy following him a few feet behind. Making his way to where they see the Man in the Moon, he set a ledge down to summon the other guardians. Tooth on the other hand, instructed her faeries to go busy themselves with collecting the children's teeth. The faeries obliged, with only a few staying behind to watch over their queen. Soon as they reached the observatory, the other guardians were already there.

"Well this better be good." A huge bunny, or more commonly known as a Pooka, crossed his arms. His right foot was thumping on the wooden floor, probably because of the rodent part of him. North approached him, putting his hands on his furry shoulder.

"Manny, has called." North briefly said. He let go of Bunnymund and walked to the center of the room, where a huge full moon was visible. A stout man floated beside him with his aura of golden sand. "Here we go, Sandy."

A beam of light shone from the moon, hitting a round spot on the floor. The spot elevated into a huge crystal. As the moon shines on it, the more the crystal is starting to take form. But unlike the previous ones, there was something rare about it. For it was not just one person, it was five. The 5 guardians stared at the crystal in a bit of shock. They did not expect for The Man on the Moon to choose another guardian, let alone five. Tooth fluttered around the Crystal, eyeing the people displayed in it. Her eyes widened at the sight of one of them.

"Anna Amour."

* * *

"Woohoo!" A ball of snow kissed the face of the young Jamie Bennet. He laughed, digging his hands under the snow, making another snow ball. He then threw in front of him, in hopes of hitting a mystic being. In the people's eyes, Jamie was playing by himself; throwing snowballs at nobody. But in his eyes, he was throwing them at a Frost haired boy, with a mischievous smirk playing on his mouth. The snowball hit the Frost boy's face, as they laughed together.

"Getting better there, Jamie." The boy chuckled while messing his snow white hair. Jamie, a boy with brown hair, smiled toothily at him.

"Learned from _the_ Jack Frost!" Jamie laughed and threw another snowball at Jack's direction. Jack, on the other hand, was about to throw one; but he froze when an arrow landed on the ground, inches away from him. He turned his head to where the arrow came from, and narrowed his eyes. Jamie looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Jack waved his hand dismissively, his attention still focused at the trees. "You better go home, Jamie. I'll see 'ya next time."

Jack crouched on the ground and picked up a long staff that curved on the end. He tapped the ground with the staff, and a trail of ice immediately appeared. He slid on the ice towards the woods, and stopped as he heard two people talking. He hid behind a tree and decided to eavesdrop.

"I could have hit him!" He heard a girl say.

"And so? That's good ain't it?" Another said. He furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of what to make of this conversation.

"What if I hit him and a girl?! And that girl had a _boyfriend_!" The former voice said. Jack decided to peek, but instead of being deadly silent, he slipped on his own ice and landed in front of the girls. The girls looked down on him in shock. One was short and a tad bit chubby who had short red hair that reached down above her shoulders, with big green porcelain eyes. Freckles bombarded her fair cheeks, and her bangs were covering a part of her forehead. Meanwhile, the girl beside her was tan with hazel as the color of her hair. Her eyes were mostly green, but a pigment of violet was clearly seen around her iris. They all stared at each other for a while, before the red haired girl shrieked. "It's the boy from a while ago!"

She jumped back, making Jack get a full view of her. She was wearing a white Greek-like dress that reach down below her knees.

"Anna, shut up!" The tan girl said. She walked close to Anna and crossed her hands. She was wearing what seemed like a mix from different times. Like a small headpiece from the Victorian Era on the side of her hair, a straight knee-length dress from the 60s, and a pair of steampunk boots. But her crystalline wings were the main surprise. "He can see us!"

"Wait, what?" Anna stared at Jack in curiosity. She walked closer to him. "You can…you can see us?"

Jack was speechless at the moment. His mind was still debating on whether telling the girls who he is, or not. But there was a winning point that made him want to say the truth. It was the fact that the girl was surprised that someone saw her- they were spirits. Anna continued on gazing at the boy. He opened his mouth, but then he was silenced when he saw a glint on the corner of his eye. That was the time he had noticed the Northern Lights. He cursed in his mind and looked at the girls. He held out his hand to Anna. "Both of you come with me. Anna, hold on."

Anna looked at her friend. She nodded and let Jack take care of her. Jack spoke to the wind, and they immediately took off with the brunette following them from behind. They flew with ease; but every so often, Jack would look behind at the brunette just to make sure that she's catching up. Once they arrived at the Pole, Jack set Anna on the ground. He wasn't really sure to why he brought the girls with him, but maybe it was for North to know about the girls. He opened the door slowly to see the other guardians arguing about something. He walked in and cleared his throat.

"Jack! Finally, you're here!" Tooth immediately flew to him. "Where were you? What happened? Ar-?"

"I'm fine, Tooth." Jack chuckled and swung his cane. He smirked as he looked at North. "So what happened? Your ice train got destroyed again?"

"Actually, yes." North said, walking closer to him. "But there are more important things than that. Manny has chosen new guardians."

"Woah, hold on." Jack raised his eyebrow and looked at the Moon. He then turned to his fellow guardians with a sour face. "Guardians? As in plural?"

"Yes, and looks like Tooth o'er here knows one of 'em." Bunnymund said, playing with one of his boomerangs. Before anybody else could speak, a thud was heard from the door outside. Jack's eyes widened as the other guardians looked at him.

"I brought visitors?" Jack rubbed his nape. North looked at the door skeptically. Sandy, the sandman, walked closer to the door, and peeked. He was partially surprised when he saw two girls outside. The thud was caused by the redhead, her arrow visible on the wall. But there was something familiar to him about the girls. Sandy looked at the other guardians as a form of the moon appeared at the top of his head. He then let and arrow appear and he pointed it outside the door. Tooth flew closer to take a peek. She squealed as she went outside.

"They're here! They're here!" She squealed as she burst the door open, bringing the two girls inside. Anna and the brunette looked at each other and shrugged. "It's Anna Amour and Issa Memoir! I knew the other girl was familiar to me!"

"Wait _, they're_ the new guardians?" Jack questioned, pointing his staff at the two girls. It might be the reason for his instincts to bring them there.

"Two of the five new guardians, Jack." Tooth said, pinching the cheeks of Anna. "Aww they're so cute."

Issa snickered at her friend, her wings illuminating from the light around. She stopped when she saw Bunnymund. "Either that's one big bunny or that's a kangaroo."

North howled in laughter as Bunnymund continuously thumped his foot on the floor. He was trying to calm himself down; because unlike Jack, the girls never did anything wrong to him. Except calling him a kangaroo. He then groaned and looked at the girl. "It's the accent ain't it?"

Issa smiled innocently at him. Anna, who was tired of being pinched on the cheeks, asked. "So, who are the others?"

"We hadn't had any confirmation yet." Bunnymund started. "But North said he'd seen one of them lurking around workshops."

"And we're going to go just there!" North boomed, pulling the Pooka closer to him. Bunnymund, on the flip side, was rather annoyed by the act.

"Aww look at that, they're bonding." Jack smirked, resting his staff on his shoulders while circling North and Bunnymund. "I wonder when the wedding is."

"Very funny there Jack." Bunnymund grumbled. "And Sandy hinted that he'd seen the other."

Sandy nodded and smiled. Anna, who was fumbling with one of the strings on her dress, gushed over the sight of the sand man. She smiled and walked close to him, kneeling down so she could reach him. "Gaaahh he's so cute!"

Issa flew to her friend and they both gushed over the golden boy. Sandy just stood there awkwardly. Jack looked at them and smirked. He then turned to Tooth. "And the last?"

"We're not really sure, but we think it's Jaq Noir." Tooth said slowly as she looked at the other guardians. They all heard a whimper coming from one of the girls. Issa, who was giggly a few minutes ago, was now ashen. Her eyes widened and her wings dropped to a lower level. as she looked at the guardians.

"J-Jaq Noir?" Issa looked at them. Tooth nodded slowly. Issa looked at Anna, and they both knew what they had to do. No matter how they hate to do it, they had to.

"W-We know where to fi-find her."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So what about this Jack Noir?" Jack Frost curiously asked as he held Anna Amour up into the air. They were already heading to the place the girls told him about, which was miles away from the Pole. Jack didn't really know what to expect from another guardian with a same name as him, but there is one thing that he knew; Issa was scared.

"It's J-Jaq, like the French name _Jacques_." Issa said, her wings fluttering and glistening across the setting sun. She looked worriedly at her friend. "She's…She's scary." She gulped and looked at Jack.

"Oh, she's a she?" Jack tilted his head to the side in obliviousness. Looks like the new guardian's a girl, unlike what he previously thought. To think that a girl would be name Jaq was absolutely new to his fresh and innocent mind.

"Is that all you heard?" Anna bluntly said. She held on tightly to the Frost boy, careful so she'll not fall to her death. If that's still possible, of course. Years ago, she had come into a conclusion that she was just a spirit. What else could be the reason behind people passing through her? Let alone see her? Now she was wondering what would happen if she let go. She looked at the horizon to find the sun just a tiny dot in the sky. "We're almost there, and at the perfect time too."

* * *

Issa landed swiftly on her feet. Looking around at the dark forest, she shivered as she thought about meeting the soul again. This was the exact same forest where they previously met. Where they saw a pair of amber eyes up in the tree, hiding in the shadows. That was where they felt a sudden change of temperature as shadows were crawling up against the trees around them, slowly inching closer to them by the second. Since then, she never got rid of those amber eyes from her mind. It hunted her dreams each and every night.

"Issa, we better go in!" She snapped out of her gaze, hearing her friend call her. Anna was already at the entrance of the forest, just waiting for her to accompany her. Jack on the other hand was already in the forest, mumbling words that made him smile.

"Come on girls! There's absolutely nothing to worry about!" The girls heard Jack chuckled.

Anna then looked at her friend with her eyes half-lidded. "He has no idea does he?"

"A-absolutely not." Issa gulped as they followed Jack deeper into the forest. While walking, she couldn't get the feeling of being watched out of her head. Every so often she would look behind her to check. She would even stop walking just so she could look around. Anna, who was not as terrified as her, often got a bit annoyed at her friend. They were stopping each and every time Issa heard a noise, and that just slowed them all down.

"Hold on." Jack said, blocking the girls with his staff. He looked around the trees, searching for the noise he heard. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow move. He immediately cocked his head to the direction, but all he saw was spiraling sand in the wind. He furrowed his eyebrows as he prepared himself for an attack, pointing the edge of his staff at the trees.

Anna looked around too, preparing her bow and arrow. She grabbed an arrow, and she winded it up to the sharp string of her bow. She pulled it, waiting for the moment to release.

All of a sudden, the shadow zoomed past them and was heading out of the forest. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, and he looked at Anna. The girls shrugged in confusion, but unlike them, Issa knew what was exactly outside. There, just a few miles from the forest, was a small town. She gasped, and turned to the others. Once Issa said the news, they all raced down to the town, in hopes of stopping the dark shadow.

On the way, Jack pondered about why this person would be chosen to be a guardian. Maybe her intentions are good, or that might not be her. But based on the expression of the girls, they have found her. Arriving at the town, it was incredibly silent. The streets were empty and peaceful. The town itself was peaceful. Each lamppost was bright, and there was a fountain at the center filled with lights. They looked around to check where the shadow was hiding, but to no avail, she was neither at the ally nor on the streets.

Though Anna might have the clue to where she is. She stared at one of the houses at the edge of the town. There was black silvery sand coming out of one of its windows. She called for the others, and together, they peeked in. Inside, they saw a girl that looked like a dark spirit.

Her skin was pasty white, contrasting with her messy jet black hair that reached down to her waist. Her amber eyes glowed in the dark, and what really made her look like a dark spirit was the aura of black silvery sand around her. It was floating all around her, making her look evil in Issa's eyes. And her clothes were absolutely what you'll see a dark person wearing. She was wearing a simple gray shirt, and on top of it was a black leather jacket. For the bottom, she was wearing black pants, and she wore knee high combat boots.

She stood there beside a bed where a boy was sleeping. The boy was furrowing his eyebrows, as if he was having a nightmare. The girl, raised her hand and bent down to the boy. She was about to do something to the boy, but she was surprised when she was suddenly outside, feeling the cold breeze. She froze and looked at the people in front of her. She knew who they were of course.

"My, my, if it isn't Jack Frost." She stood up straight as she walked forward to Jack. She smiled mischievously, sand still forming an aura around her. She then turned her attention at the girls. She narrowed her eyes. She vanished, and immediately appeared beside Anna. She started walking around them, sand floating behind her. "Anna Amour, how's the match making? Still miss don't ya? Oh, _poor people_. And it's Issa Memoir! I heard that you've been doing well lately, how 'bout we change that?"

"Jaq, we're not here for trouble." Anna spoke up. Jaq stopped, and smirked. She appeared in front of Anna, her amber eyes piercing through her green ones. In Anna's perspective, the girl was actually beautiful, but it's driven away by her dark aura.

"Then why are you here?" Jaq said, glaring at Anna.

"We were sent here to bring you to the pole." Jack butted in. The girl turned to him with a smirk. She placed her hands on her hips, and she raised her eyebrow.

"The pole? What, did North have a problem having me on the Naughty list?" She said, her smirk growing and growing. "Or d-"

She fell silent. She furrowed her eyebrows, and looked at the ground. Anna, Issa, and Jack looked at each other, in hopes that one of them knows what was happening. They were curious of course, especially when she looked up to the moon, and spoke. "What? But why? I mean, why would I go there? Give me a reason you prick!"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. Was she talking to the moon? Of course she was talking to the moon; all the other guardians do so. But was the Man in the Moon actually responding to her? If so, how is that possible when none of the other guardians got even a single verbal reply from the Man. He watched her intently, and it was like the moon and her were actually having a conversation.

Anna was confused. She didn't understand why Jaq would talk to the moon, when the moon doesn't actually respond. That is unless the moon does respond. But then, if the Man in the Moon responds, why haven't he responded to any of her questions? She just shrugged the thought off, and looked at Jaq. Maybe there was something about her that made her have the ability to do so.

Issa, Issa was utterly dumbfounded. She looked at her friends with a confused expression. "Is she crazy?"

"No I am not." Jaq quickly responded without even looking at the brunette. "Look, can you just please give me a reason to why I should go with these people." She said, her face scrunched up. A few seconds passed, she rolled eyes and groaned in annoyance. She then turned to the others with a bored look on her face. "Alright fine, I'm going."

Jack eyed her as he floated upside down next to her. He stopped when they were just inches away from each other. Jaq glared at him with one of her eyebrows raised. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Oh, just wondering if you're crazy." Jack smirked as he created a snowflake, instantly landing on the girl's face. Jaq scrunched up her nose and pushed the boy away. She sneezed and glared at Jack.

"No, you were just doing your Jack Frost thing." She said with her nose turning a bit red. Her eyes darted to Issa and Anna, and she immediately smirked. "What did they do? Messed up another life?"

"Hey! For your information, we do not mess up lives!" Issa yelled, her fists clenching. From the gaps of her fists, there was a bright light seething out; just like what was happening to her wings. It glowed brighter than it was, and its tips were starting to have dotted colors on it; looking like a graffiti.

Jaq smirked. "Looks like Ms. Memoir wants to fight. _**Bring it on**_." She flicked her hand, and in an instant, a huge aura of black silvery sand rose up. There were tendrils of shadow crawling up to her clothes, making it seem like she was becoming a shadow as well. "Well?"

Jack prepared his staff, and pointed it at Jaq. His eyes glanced from Issa to the girl. "Woah, guys, let's talk about this alright?"

Anna placed a hand on Issa's shoulder. "Look, I know that she's getting in your nerves, but stop. This isn't going to fix anything, Issa."

Issa's face softened as the light from her fists and wings dulled. She looked at Jaq who still had a smug face.

"What's the matter? Too we- What? I was just having fun." Jaq looked up at the moon with an annoyed face. She bit the inside of her cheek and sighed, making all the dark tendrils and shadows disappear. She looked at Jack. "You better have a damn good reason to be bringing me there."


	4. Chapter 3

"I'm not exactly sure, but I'll try to be one." That was Rianne Lumine's answer when she was asked to be a guardian. Out of the new guardians, she was the kindest of them all. With a warm heart, she accepted being a guardian, knowing that she might actually make a difference. In her 458 years of lifetime, she never thought that she'll have a chance of becoming a guardian.

When the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy appeared in front of her, all she could do was freeze. Tooth being Tooth, she gushed over the golden haired girl. Her skin was sun-kissed, and her eyes shone brightly with its hazelnut glow. And being the kind-hearted girl she is, she immediately agreed to go to the pole.

"Bringing her here, that I understand." A scruffy voice said. The boy pointed his thumb at the kind girl. "But bringing me here? This must be some kind of joke."

"C'mon, Daichi. The moon chose you. He sees potential." Rianne smiled kindly at Daichi. His black eyes gazed at the girl with a bored expression. He ran his hands through his brown locks, and sighed. He looked at the guardians, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Alright, fine. If you think I'll make a difference, why not?" He smirked as the people around him rejoiced. He was really never the one to be on the spotlight. He was usually in the background, minding his own business, tinkering with his little devices that he hides in the pockets of his Prussian blue jumper. It was one of the reasons why he's skeptical. Why would the Man in the Moon choose a Tinker to be a guardian?

"Fantastic! Now we only have to wait for Jack to arrive." North clasped his hands together, and looked at his fellow guardians. Honestly, he had known the girl a few years back. She was the reason he was late in some of the houses on that Christmas Day. He was flying his sled on that starry night when a big mass of shadow swallowed it. Not actually swallowed, more like covered his sled. At first he thought that it was Pitch Black, yet he noticed dark gray streaks on the shadow, making him doubt that it was him.

"Just a quick question." Daichi looked at the other guardians with his eyebrows raised. "Who are the others?"

"One of them is Anna Amour!" Tooth flew up in the room as her fairies formed a shape of a heart. That was just a tad bit strange for Daichi. He wasn't very social, but he would often hear a voice practicing the bow and arrow in the forest; and that was the reason why he met her. She's sweet and kind, somewhat charming, and she's that kind of person who would sacrifice herself for others. But then, there was a thing about her bothering his mind. She's cupid. And since she's cupid, why wasn't she visible to the people? "Isn't it wonderful? I'm sure she would be the best guardian she can be."

"Yeah." Daichi muttered.

"Other one's a say before you think kind of girl." Bunnymund said with his strong accent. He was observing one of his boomerangs, and he would often throw it around. "'Ya know, Issa Memoir."

Daichi's eye twitched at the sound of her name. Since he knew about Anna, he obviously knew about the hyperactive girl. She was funky. Not just with her clothing style that mainly consists of vintage and steampunk, but also her attitude. She's wild. Yet too wild, unlike Anna. They were almost the same. Except for the fact that Issa lacked the art of subtlety. He shivered at the thought of seeing the girl again.

"And the last is Jaq Noir." North said. At the moment, Daichi never realized that he could do a 90 degree head turn in a millisecond. Rianne Lumine? Sure, she's kind hearted. Anna Amour? Why not, she's selfless. Issa Memoir? Bring it on. But Jaq Noir was a different a different topic. He finds it weird. Especially to the fact that she's mysterious, lead him to believe that she's evil. Unless, he was wrong of course.

"Hold on." Rianne butted in. The tips of her golden her floated and swayed slowly as she walked towards North. Her eyebrows were creased ever so lightly. "Jaq Noir and Anna Amour together in a team? I don't think that that's possible."

"Don't worry, Anna knows better than to be driven away by the girl." Daichi answered the golden girl beside him. The other guardians looked at each other, knowing that the two must've had a past. Well, it wasn't that surprising since they were complete opposites. One was sweet and compassionate, while the other was cold and cynical. One resembles love and innocence, while the other resembles hatred and darkness. But they do have one thing in common: They were chosen.

"Look, I know that we all have a bad impression on Jaq, but I think there's more to her than her outer shell." Tooth flew over to the two, and gave them side hug. As if on cue, a knock on the door was heard, and from the door came out the girl with crystalline wings. Her hazel hair was wildly sticking out to a lot of directions. She walked with a slouched back towards the guardians. Her face was fixed in a scowl. When Tooth asked her about it, she pointed at the door. One of the yetis opened the door, and it revealed Jaq Noir having a tendril around Anna Amour.

"She's killing Anna!" Daichi pointed at the scene. He looked at the other guardians. "I told you she's something!"

"Woah, I am not killing Anna!" Jaq defended, putting Anna Amour down to the floor. Jack, who just arrived, raised his eyebrow at Daichi.

"Is he new or?" He pointed his stick at Daichi. "Ah yes, of course! Another guardian, my bad." He looked to his side and saw Jaq's tendril. Then, he looked back at Daichi, who had a screwdriver in his palms. He was confused by the fact that the new guardian was actually going to defend himself with a screwdriver. That was when he realized that they took the scene out of context. "Woah, woah, woah, chill out. She's not attacking Anna. She took the two them for a ride."

"If that's so, why does Issa looks like she just handled a war?" Daichi pointed at the brunette, who was glaring at him. Jaq chuckled.

"It was her fault; she was twisting and turning when we were up in the air. She kept on ordering me to let her go." She smirked as her eyes scanned the room. She never imagined that the pole looked like that. "And, as an obedient girl, I did let her go. But don't worry; I caught her before she hit the ground."

"Well, enough of this." North spoke up as his eyes stayed on Jaq. She stared back at him with a playful smirk. "Now, Jaq Noir, do you know what you're here for?" Jaq shook her head. North looked at the others and they nodded. He walked towards Jaq and he clasped his hands. "How would you like to be a guardian?"

"H-Hold on. A guardian?" Jaq raised her eyebrow. She then looked at Issa and Anna. 'They're guardians too?!' She thought. She furrowed her eyebrows as her gaze followed the moon's light. 'That idiot.' Her attention went back to North. "Excuse me? Are you sure you're saying it correctly? Me, a guardian?"

"That's right!" Tooth exclaimed excitedly. Jaq chuckled and looked at all the people in the room. She wasn't sure if they were joking or not. She wasn't sure if he was joking or not. She wasn't Ms. Goody-goody to begin with. And she's practically stubborn. Her eyes landed on North, and she said with a quick wave of her hand.

"No way." She then disappeared through the wind, leaving silver-black sand suspended in the air.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Anna stared at the night sky patterned with tiny sparkling dots. The moon was nowhere to be seen. _'Maybe the clouds blocked him again'_ the redhead thought as she scanned the sky. Looking back to what happened a few hours ago made her mind cloudy. She was uncertain about being a guardian, much like Daichi was. She wasn't sure if she's up to the task. Just to think that she causes problems for a lot of people made her stomach churn. She wasn't ready yet. She constantly hits the wrong people. She sighed once again. She had a skill. A skill that not even Issa knew about. She had a strange skill where she can figure out one's special feelings towards another. It "helped" her to know who to shoot. But that didn't turn out well. Each person she shot was visited by a whirlwind of emotions. It all bubbles up to a disaster. _'Maybe I should practice the skill more'_ she said to herself, trying to cheer up.

She was in a room provided for her by North. She was thankful that he was kind enough to let them stay. It was actually the first time that she had a place called home. Even for a while. It was a huge room. It was as if she would stay there forever. A small smile formed from her lips as she ran her hands through the patterns engraved on the window frame. Maybe this will be their home. With 230 years of existence, never did she have an actual home. She was roaming around the world with Issa. They would find themselves a spot in the forest, and there they would set up camp that would naturally last for 3 weeks since devastation came one after the other.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw colors of green, violet, and blue. She turned to look at the night sky, now accompanied by the Northern Lights. She stared in awe at the show. But the longer she watched them, the more she got curious. It was as if the lights were calling for her. Looking around the pole, she noticed that there were no more people around. And so, she grabbed her bow and arrow, and her travel sling bag. She immediately grabbed the hanged fur coat provided by Rianne, and she prepared herself to go. Pushing her door open, she made sure nobody was there. She softly walked down to the place she liked to call the main room. She stared at the giant globe and smiled. Walking closer, she could only imagine all the children in the world. With one final glance, she ran out of the room and into the night.

She wasn't exactly sure of what she was doing; all she had was her instinct to follow the lights. Walking further into the unknown, she pulled her coat closer to her with the temperature dropping and dropping. And that was when she noticed something, the more she followed the lights, the more it got thinner. She was unsure to where it leads, but she was sure it was close. Passing through a mountain of ice and snow, she stopped dead on her tracks. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine. No, it wasn't because of the weather, she was certain of it. She knew that it was there for another reason. She took one more step, but she didn't feel anything. She looked around; trying to see if there was another person around, but all there was were mountains. Ignoring the feeling, she continued walking to the trail of the Northern Lights.

"What are _you_ doing here?" A cold and rough voice asked. Anna stopped. She knew who the voice belonged to. Now she knew the reason for the chill. She turned around to see Jaq glaring at her. She didn't know why Jaq was there, but whatever's the reason, she hoped it wasn't bad.

"I was following the Northern Lights." She spoke up. Jaq looked at her, confused. She didn't know what the girl was talking about.

"What Northern Lights?" She replied. Anna looked above the sky to see only the stars shining. The Northern Lights were nowhere in sight. Confused, she turned to each direction in hopes to see the Lights again. But to no avail, it was nowhere to be found. Her eyes landed on Jaq, who was patiently waiting for her response. A sudden thought hit her. What if the lights led her to Jaq? But she knew that that was impossible, because why would Mother Nature lead her to her? "Look, you have to back to that old man's workshop. You'll catch a cold." Jaq said, turning around to leave.

"Wait!" Anna exclaimed. Jaq stopped in her tracks, but didn't bother to look at the girl. Anna hadn't had the slightest clue to why she stopped the girl. But she knew she had to say something to her. She doesn't know what, but she knew that she _needed_ to say something. "Why don't you want to be a guardian?"

"If it wasn't already obvious, I don't really have the warmest heart." Jaq sneered. She flicked her hand, and shadows started to engulf her. Before she fully disappeared, Anna said something that made her stop. "So why were you concerned about my health?"

Jaq froze, and she finally turned to look at the redhead. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to look past the girl's eye. _'What is she playing at?'_ Jaq asked herself. Knowing that the girl is a guardian, she assumed that she's trying to get her to their side. She scoffed. "I just want you to live long enough so _I_ can kill you myself in a fight."

Anna's eyes widened at the girl in front of her. She can't think of a reason to why Jaq wants to kill her. Jaq on the other hand, smirked at the reaction she got. That is what exactly she's going for. So, she vanished into the shadows, and appeared right in front of Anna. She stared deep into her eyes, searching each and every corner. Until she hit the spot. Staring for a few more seconds, Anna wanted to run away. But there was something about Jaq's amber eyes that seemed to connect to hers, making it hard to look away. They were still for a solid minute, until Jaq blinked. Anna blinked too, and she immediately stepped far away from Jaq.

"Issa." Jaq mumbled, but Anna still heard it. Jaq looked at Anna with glowing amber eyes. But as time passed by, the glow faded and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not planning on hurting her if that's what you're thinking."

"H-how did yo-"

"Just go home, before I change my mind about not attacking you." Jaq growled as she waved her hand dismissively.

Anna nodded and started walking past the mountain. After a few steps, she stopped cold. She looked around her, not knowing where to go. She looked at her right, then to her left, but nothing was familiar to her. Every corner looked the same. She kept on walking around, wandering like a lost puppy. Every so often, she would look up to the sky, trying to keep check of the time. And as she turned to check for the 9th time, the stars were already burning out and as she turned her head to the east, there was a part of it is becoming gradient with orange. She sat on the snow, tired from all the walking. Tired of not sleeping even a blink. But before her eyes closed, she was suddenly engulfed into a dark abyss. In a few moments, she was in front of the Workshop. Her eyes widened at the sudden occurrence.

She went inside to see that no one was awake yet. She went up the stairs, and into her room. Removing her coat, her mind was still clouded with what happened. Heading to bed, her mind drifted off, but there was a lingering feeling of being watched.

* * *

"Anna wake up." Anna opened her eyes to be greeted by a pair of violet stained green ones. She turned to her side and replied with a grunt, still tired of having a late night adventure through half the North Pole. "Jaq's here."

"What?!" Anna immediately shot up from bed. With her hair a mess, she ran down the stairs, quickly followed by Issa. She went to the main room, and there she saw Jaq being squished by a hug from North. "What's happening?"

"Oh, girls you're just in time." Tooth said with a big grin on her face. "Jaq just agreed to be a guardian!"

"What?!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"Why?" Daichi stared at the girl who stopped dead in her tracks. His green eyes scanned the girl from head to toe, observing her stance. She was stiff at the moment. It was like she was contemplating about something. 'Why wouldn't she be' a voice in his head said. _'She's cruel and cold. And she's a_ guardian _.'_ He pushed the voice out of his thoughts. He wanted to give the girl a chance, but there was still something suspicious about her. Who in their right minds would deny an offer, then accepting it after hours? If it didn't sound suspicious to the others, tough luck for the girl because it did to him. He knew something was up. He knew that there was something about her that made him so weary about her. And it's not just the rumours talking. It was a strange feeling in his guts.

Jaq froze as she heard the voice behind her. She wasn't sure who it was. But she knew that it wasn't Jack. The voice was missing its mischievous tone. It wasn't North, the voice was higher. It wasn't Bunny, the voice lacked his iconic accent. And she was extremely sure that it wasn't Sandy. So that leaves Daichi. She doesn't know why he asked the question. But there was one thing she knew: he doesn't like her. At all. She looked at him over her shoulder. He was there, glaring at her. His body was tense, as if he was nervous about something. And so, Jaq raised her eyebrow at him. "Why what?"

"Why did you decide to join?" He replied in a somewhat demanding tone. He inhaled deeply, looking at Jaq's amber eyes. It felt like it was striking through his green ones, searching each and every part of his soul. But he ignored his delusions, and focused on getting answers from the girl. He knew that there were 3 routes this conversation could take. It's either she's going to respond with the answer, respond in ciphers, or not at all. He was hoping that he won't get the latter. But the odds wasn't in his favour. She smirked at him. And at that moment, he knew that he'll get the second one. He gulped as she started advancing towards him. Although he was inches taller than her, he couldn't help but to feel small in front of her. But despite the fact that she was getting on his head, he hid it with a glare.

"Why do _you_ care?" She narrowed her eyes at the boy. She couldn't help but to feel intimidated to the very least by his height. But despite the feeling, she kept it hidden by acting hostile.

"Why do _I_ care?" Daichi scoffed. He pointed his index finger at her. "I care about the people here, and you're up to something." He glared at Jaq, who just scoffed at what he said.

"If I was planning to hurt you guys, I would've done it while you were sleeping last night." Jaq snarled at him. "And for your information, I'm not up to anything." Silence washed over the two with each of them looking in to one another's eyes. As a solid minute passed, Jaq decided to break away. She turned and walked forward, exiting the room they were in. But before she exited, she gave one final look at Daichi. "But you'll never know, now would you?"

* * *

Daichi banged at the door in front of him, with Issa beside him. He was hoping that he would get some help from the others, but Anna, Rianne and Sandy were too kind, and North, Tooth, and Bunnymund wouldn't believe him. So that left Issa and Jack. Issa was already with him, convinced that Jaq was up to something. It was them who had a bad feeling about her from the start. And Jaq suddenly wanting to become a guardian was seriously suspicious for the two of them. "Open the door!"

"Please!" Issa cried out. A few knocks later, the wooden door opened to reveal Jack leaning on his wooden staff. "Finally!"

"Jaq's up to something!" Daichi cried desperately at the frost haired boy in front of them. But at that moment, he realized what he had said. He should've known better. "Jaq Noir!"

"Ah, Jaq Noir. You made me nervous for a minute there, Daichi." Jack chuckled at the boy. Issa and Daichi looked at one another, wondering if Jack heard what Daichi said. "Now, what is it about her being up to something?"

They breathed in relief.

"Don't you think that it's a bit suspicious to why she changed her mind about joining?" Daichi questioned him, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well, I once didn't want to be a guardian too." Jack shrugged, passing his staff from his right hand to his left. "But do you know why I changed my mind? I had a reason worth doing so." His eyes found Daichi. To be honest, he had seen the boy multiple times before. But every time he saw him, Daichi was always working with something. He wanted so desperately to approach him, yet every time he does, something comes up, making it somewhat impossible for it to happen. He knew Daichi would be the serious one.

"Well, you may have yours. But as far as I know, she doesn't." Daichi responded with his eyes becoming colder.

"And bingo!" Jack fixed his hand into a finger gun, and he "shot" Daichi. "You're looking at it from your field of view. As far as I know, you don't know everything about her."

And that left Daichi stunned. He just got one-upped by someone else. He was proven wrong.

Issa, on the other hand, contemplated about what Jack said. He was right. They don't know everything about her. Thus making them lose all their privilege to judge her. Just like what Anna told her. She said her thanks to Jack, and she pulled Daichi to her room. He was still stunned. It was like it was the first time that someone had proven him that he was wrong. And that irritated him.

"Maybe we should get to know her more." Issa suggested. Daichi looked at her in horror. In no way will he ever interact with the ghostly girl.

"Are you crazy?!" He screamed at her face. But all Issa did was to place her hands on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Hear me out." She said. Daichi followed and he stayed silent, waiting for Issa's explanation. Though he was silent, he was still glaring at the ground, arms crossed. Like a child who didn't get a lollipop. And that just made Issa smile. "My plan is to know her better _so_ we can find out what she's up to. We need to earn her trust."

He stared at her. He knew that it was a great plan, but there were risks. Supposed that Jaq found out about their plan? They were dead meat, that's for sure. But he knew that they didn't have any other choice. They can't just march around the pole saying that Jaq's up to something. They need to get more information. More proof. Meaning they had to be a close friend to her. And so far, the level they're on was enemies. They just have to push that level up, to know what she's up to.

"I suppose you're right." Daichi said, his voice a bit raspy. He nodded at Issa, and she returned it. As a guardian, they had to protect the children all around the world. And at the same time, protect one another. If it was the only way to do both, they were willing to befriend the girl.

* * *

" _Unbelievable_." Anna glared at Issa. She had to admit. She hated eavesdropping, but it was for the good. Ten minutes ago, she was about to call Issa for there was something she wanted to talk about. But before she could knock, a yell interrupted her, asking Issa if she was crazy. Being the only other boy, she knew it was Daichi. She got curious. And so, she rested her ear on the wooden door, mentally screaming because she was eavesdropping. But now, she knew that she should've eavesdrop. "Earning her trust so you could _destroy_ her?"

"It's not destroy!" Issa tried to defend herself. Anna looked at her and raised her eyebrow. "Maybe it is a little bit like destroy."

Anna rubbed her face with her hands. "Do you have any idea how wrong that is?"

"But Anna, she's up to something!"

"How can you be sure? Do have a proof?"

"That's why we're going to earn he trust, so we can find out what she's up to!"

"That is just stupid, Issa." Anna glared at her. "Look, I'm not siding her in his. But what you're gonna do is wrong. Is that what you'll be as a guardian? _Lying_ to someone? You became a guardian not just to protect children, but to also serve good. And not, in many years of my existence, have I heard that manipulating someone a good thing."

"But it's for the greater good of the world!" Issa practically screamed at her friend.

"Of the world? Or _yours_?" Anna questioned the girl.

Issa's mouth was now shut. She couldn't help but to get the feeling that Anna's right. She's just going to do it for herself, not for the sake of humanity. She wanted so bad to get rid of the girl, that she's willing to do anything. Even befriending her. And so, she sighed and looked at Anna. "I'm sorry. I guess I realized it now. I'm going to tell Daichi about it."

Anna smiled and dismissed her out of her room. Issa said her thanks. Anna was right. _Really_ right. It really wasn't about the greater good for the world, it was for her.

And in _no_ way was she going to abort the plan.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Rianne wasn't sure of what to think. She knew that the girl must mean well. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that they somewhat resemble others. By others, she means Sandman and Boogeyman. But she was curious. Curious about what will happen when her iridescent sand made contact with Jaq's black-silvery one. She was a quiet girl, which is why there are times when people don't seem to notice her. But that has its perks. For the first week that the new guardians were living on the same roof, she noticed a phenomenon occurring every night. At exactly midnight, Jaq would leave the workshop. Suspicious and serious as it may seem, she hadn't told anyone yet. Instead, she decided that she'll follow her.

Hiding behind a pillar, she waited for Jaq to leave. It was two minutes before midnight, and she already hears footsteps from above. Peeking, she waited for the girl to come.

"Rianne?" A soft voice said. Her eyes widened as she saw Anna look at her. She gulped, fearing what would happen. She quickly pulled Anna behind the pillar, covering her mouth. "What are you doing?" Anna asked, yet Rianne just shushed her. Confused as she is, Anna just followed her orders. After a few seconds of not hearing a single noise, they both peeked. They were surprised when Jaq was already leaving. Anna's eyes widened. Once Jaq went out through one of the windows, the two girls looked at each other knowingly. They followed her.

Rianne casted her sand to form a cloud-like form. They both board the sand, and started following Jaq. They didn't know where they were going, but they knew that Jaq was up to something. While following her, Rianne told Anna that this was happening for a week now. This alarmed her. What if Issa and Daichi were right? What if Jaq's actually evil? Anna pushed the thoughts away. Whatever Jaq was up to, she was hopeful that she has a good explanation. About half an hour passed following Jaq, when she disappeared. They both looked around, trying to find the girl. And that was when Anna saw the familiar town. It was the same town with the same buildings and the same fountain. She pulled at Rianne and told her to land at the town. Even though Rianne was questioning about it in her head, she knew better than to doubt Anna. She controlled her sand to land.

As Rianne stepped down, her bare feet immediately felt the cold ground. Her tan skin shivered at the cold wind. She wished that she had brought her coat, instead of wearing just a yellow sundress. Anna whispered for her to follow her. Rianne followed the order. Anna, now preparing her bow and arrow, was leading Rianne to the same window where she had previously seen Jaq. They both peeked at the window, and there they saw the girl. She was doing the exact same thing Anna saw her do. She raised her hand over the boy's head. Anna was about to shoot one of her arrows, but then Rianne told her to stop.

"What? Why?" Anna looked at her as if she was crazy. Rianne looked at Anna.

"I don't think she's here to harm him." She said quietly, now averting her eyes back to Jaq. Anna sighed and lowered her bow. They both watched as Jaq hand made a few movements above the boy's head, and after a few seconds, spiders made of her sand hovered above the boy's head. His face was tensed. Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She examined Jaq's face, and was actually surprised when her face softened. And the next thing they knew, Jaq was humming a soft tune, as if singing a lullaby to the boy. As the seconds went by the black spiders hovering above the boy's head was starting to turn to silver. The boy's face softened, becoming more relaxed than before.

But that stopped when Jaq spotted them.

She immediately disappeared from the boy's room. Before Rianne and Anna could do anything, darkness engulfed them and sent them in the forest. Anna didn't even bother to prepare her bow. She took Rianne's hand, waiting for the worst. If there was one thing she learned about Jaq the previous week, it was that she hates it when somebody invades her privacy.

"What are you doing here?" A voice echoed from the forest. They looked around; trying to find the girl, but all they saw was darkness and trees. "Why are you spying on me?"

"W-We are…" Rianne started, trying to think of a way out. But she gave up eventually. She sighed. "We got curious. I s-saw you leaving every night f-for the previous week."

Jaq appeared in front of them, her amber eyes glowing brightly. "Oh who am I kidding, I knew you wouldn't trust me anyway."

"What were you doing?" Anna spoke out. She gulped as Jaq's eyes pierced through her. The pale girl vanished and reappeared in front of her.

"None of your business." Jaq growled in her low and slightly raspy voice. She stepped back and eyed them. "You should go home."

"We're not leaving until you tell us what you were doing with the boy." Anna said. If it wasn't for her voice quivering, she would've looked tough for speaking up. She held her bow tightly, preparing for the worst. She was expecting a wave of shadows, but what she got was a small sigh.

"Let me tell you what I wish I have known years ago." Jaq said, her eyes switching from Rianne to Anna. "Curiosity will _always_ kill the cat. One way….or another."

That silenced the three girls. Anna was speechless. Well, whatever Jaq was doing there, they won't know anytime soon. Rianne, on the other hand, saw something in Jaq. She might not know what she was doing, but she suspected that the girl's intentions were good. Because deep within those harsh and cold eyes, lurked kindness no one ever knew. She cares.

With a wave of Jaq's hand, they were back at the pole. In Anna's room. With Jaq nowhere to be seen. They thought that she was probably in her room. Rianne stayed with Anna overnight.

When the sun hit Anna's eyes, she slowly woke up, remembering the events last night. Or should she say a while ago. Standing up, she made sure that she won't disturb the sleeping Rianne. She walked to the circular mirror across her room. She wasn't surprised to find her short her sticking up in every direction. And now, as a new feature in her face, she saw bags under her eyes. She disregarded her discovery, and just went on to walking down the stairs. On the way, she was greeted by Issa, who wondered why she was so tired. They walked down the stairs together. And once they reached the main room, they noticed that all the guardians where there, well except for Rianne and Jaq. Well Rianne was asleep. Meanwhile Jaq was on her way, walking so slow that it was like her whole body was aching. It was surprising when Rianne got there first, immediately appearing beside Anna. Once Jaq reached the bottom of the stairs, North started talking.

"Now that everyone's here, we have a matter of business to talk about." He cleared his throat, before looking at Daichi. Daichi nudged North, and he sighed. "Daichi over here had reported that he saw black sand terrorizing a village last night. And he accuses Jaq of such actions."

" _Me?_ " Jaq Noir and Jack Frost looked at Daichi. Bunnymund rolled his eyes and told Jack that it was the girl. Jaq furrowed her eyebrows at Daichi, and she suspiciously glanced at Anna and Rianne. "I didn't do such thing." She said in a tired voice.

"So how will you explain that?" Daichi snapped. " _Who else_ could've summoned those sands and shadows."

"You said black sand right?" Jaq's eyes widened. If it was even possible, she looked paler than she already was. "Well, it's not mine."

Anna was sorta surprised. She had expected Jaq to yell in her defense, but she talked smoothly. Anna wondered what could've gotten her so tired. And what surprised her more was when Issa defended Jaq.

"She's right, her sand's not black." Issa told Daichi. She might not fully trust the girl, but she would stand up for what's right.

"North, don't you think?" Tooth gasped. She and Sandy both looked at North. They knew that it couldn't be possible. While the kids where having their own meeting, the older guardians had their own.

"That can't be possible." Bunnymund spoke with his deep accent. He was holding his boomerang, pointing at North. "Back for a second time, sure why not. But back for the third time? You have got to be kiddin' me."

"It can't also be possible that the girl did it." Tooth looked over to the younger guardians. They were arguing. But even with the accusation, Jaq didn't even bother to raise her voice.

"Well if it's terrorizing a village, we better know who it is." Jack said sternly. "Whoever they are, we have to stop them."

"But what if he really is back?" Tooth looked at North, followed by the others. North looked up at the bright moon that was still visible at the pole.

"Then we will be ready."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"North." Jaq said with her head hang low. She didn't knew what he thought of her. But she hoped that he would believe her. It was hard to not believe of course. It was sand. Black sand. But hers was black with silver specks. But what if she was the attacker? What if her fit last night made those sand to attack the village? What if she's a monster?

North turned to look at her. She looked up at him and sigh. "I know that you might n-"

"No one blames you, Jaq." North sighed and he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. He'd been sure that it wasn't Jaq. He knew that she's not capable such thing. Not in the rude way, of course. What he had meant was that she's not cruel to do such thing. He had a hunch though. But that hunch was a dangerous one. It couldn't be true, but there wasn't any other way to explain the incident. Unless it really w- No. North shook the though off.

"So what's Daichi then? A thing?" Jaq said bitterly. She didn't intend it to sound so sarcastic, but there was something about the boy. He had hated her ever since they met years ago. Maybe he had see right through her. Maybe he had seen her true colors. She shook away the thought.

"Daichi...Daichi had just been driven out by...confusion. Black sand, eh? Much like yours." North placed his hands on his hips. It had been rude of him to sugar coat this one. Confused. That probably made him facepalm inside. For all he knew, Daichi was driven out by fear. For as Daichi explained it, it was the most horrible sight to be seen in his existence. There were mares made of black sand that roamed around the village. There were tendrils. Tendrils of black sand that etched themselves into the side of every person's head, like it entered their mind. What's worse was that when Daichi described the people, he had said that they seemed to have lost their sanity. They were screaming and yelling. Some even hid at the alleys, rocking themselves to peace. He knew who those sand belongs to. He knew. He didn't want to alarm the younger Guardians, but he intended to tell them as soon as possible.

"Confusion, of course." She chuckled dryly. She wanted to believe that it really was confusion. She wanted to believe that Daichi didn't think of her as a monster. Of course he will. Of course he will because she is a monster. She deserved to be thought as one. She- but then all her pessimistic thoughts washed away as the moon shone under them. She looked up at the moon and wondered. She wondered how he could do it. How he could just appear to someone, and suddenly, almost immediately, the person's worries just goes away. There was something about the ray of the moon. How it shone. It radiates a different vibe. It radiates hope.

North walked away in instinct, but not before he patted Jaq on the back; like how a father does to his children. Jaq gave North one final look, before turning her attention to the silver moon.

' _I am very much aware that you are not the attacker.'_ She heard his smooth and timid voice echo. She wasn't sure where his voice came from, but whenever he spoke to her, his voice just echoes around the room.

"I know I'm not…but what if I am?" Jaq asked the moon. In difficult times, she learned to ask him for guidance. She would've said answers, but it wasn't how he works. He doesn't give you answers, he gives you guidance to attain the answer.

' _I believe that it might be of an ancient spirit'_

"Ancient?" Jaq repeated. She hadn't known what he meant by ancient, but from what she had guessed, it would be someone powerful. Someone mysterious. Someone _Ancient_.

' _Maybe it is time to know your heritage_ '

* * *

Rianne stared at the ancient guardian in front of her. She stared at the guardian's long dark hair that seemed go on as time does. She stared at her powerful eyes that stared back at her. She stared at the elegant dark green dress that she was wearing. It had tendrils of a lighter shade all around the dress. She couldn't believe that a guardian this powerful was in front of her. She couldn't help but to notice her beautiful yet mysterious face. It was like she had held the weight of the world. Which she kinda did. She held so much power. So much mystery. And so much ancient wisdom. And Rianne couldn't believe that she was at the front door.

"Rianne, what's taking you so long?! You've been there like you were fro-" Daichi stopped short when he saw the guardian. He tried to talk once more, but he unfortunately managed to embarrass himself in front of her. "Holy Mother of- What a-are yo-you- ho-how are y-you- M-Mother Nature."

What probably made things worse was that Mother Nature showed a small smile. Daichi felt his face heat up. He wished that he had brought his machine to keep him warm. But then he had realized that they had been standing at the doorway for too long. Probably long enough to get hypothermia, if that was possible of course. He moved aside and stuttered his way to telling Mother Nature to come in.

Mother Nature walked inside with elegance. But the two Guardians wondered if it was actually walk or float since as they noticed that Mother Nature dress, along with her feet, faded about 5 inches from her knee down to the floor. As she walked, she held up her hand and several golden butterflies almost immediately spurted out, flying off to different directions of the workshop.

As she continued to walk, she bumped into Nortth himself. For the first few seconds, North was in complete shock, but he then regained hiimself. He grinned brightly, then positioned himself to get a hug. "Mother Nature!"

Mother Nature stared at him, her long yet beautiful face was cold. North ignored the cold act and just placed his wide open hands on his hips. "What brings you here?"

"I am in search of Jaq Noir." Mother Nature said with a cold tone. That was the point when the 3 other people with her was stunned. Except Daichi. His mouth still managed to tug a bit, forming a subtle smile. He wasn't sure why Mother Nature wanted Jaq, but whatever it is, he was sure that it was something huge. Or maybe it was for the chaos she caused last night.

North cleared his throat before continuing to grin at Mother Nature. "I saw the girl downstairs, working with the yetis." He said, trying to buy Jaq some time to escape. He wasn't sure why Mother Nature was there. But he knew it was no good.

"I ought to search for her myself, thank you." Mother Nature knew better. She was sure that she felt one of the younger Guardians leave. And sure enough, North was trying to mislead her. And so, she walked past by North, heading towards the main room.

* * *

"Anna! Anna! Open up!" Rianne yelled as she banged on the guardian's door. She saw the way North's eyes glanced at her. She knew he wanted her to do something. She wasn't sure what, but she guessed it was about Jaq. But the problem was, she couldn't seem to find the girl. So, she decided to go to Anna first. Strange at it seem, the girl had a knock on finding Jaq.

"I don't think she's in there." She won't be mistaken about that voice. She knew it was from the mischievous Frost haired boy. She turned around and sighs din relief.

"Jack! I'm so glad to see you. Have you seen Anna?" She asked, desperate in finding the girl.

"She went to the village with Issa, I think." Jack shrugged, swinging his staff. He didn't actually know why Rianne wanted to find Anna so bad, but he guess he could help.

"Any chance you've seen Jaq?"

"I don't think so." Jack replied after a few seconds of processing the question. It was kinda weird for him that there's another guardian with the same name as him. Well, almost the same. Weird too that she's a girl. "Why'd ya ask?"

Then, Rianne told him about Mother Nature. Jack stopped playing with his staff. He couldn't believe that Mother Nature was here. He had a hunch to why she were there of course, and why she's looking for Jaq. But still, it made absolutely no sense. Jaq wasn't the one who attacked the village, so why would Mother Nature be here? And even if she did attack the village, why would Mother Nature be here? As far as Jack remembered, she wasn't the type of guardian who would meddle with issues. She usually kept quiet, as if she was watching a movie. And now, Mother Nature was looking for his friend.

He dragged Rianne along to find Jaq.

* * *

 _Maybe it's time to know about your heritage_. The same line kept repeating and repeating itself in Jaq's mind. After Manny said that, she tried to ask him about it; and as usual, all he gave her were riddles. The type of riddles she can't understand. It bothered her. It kept on festering in her head like some sort of parasite. She tried to forget it, but the harder she tries the more it comes back.

She was sitting on the circular window sill of one of the separated towers of the workshop. It was the highest window. High, circular, and huge. From there, she had a perfect view of the moon; which just irritated her. She kept on trying to clear her thoughts, but every time it was actually working, the moon shows up on her view. She didn't want to move too. It was peaceful there. Just peaceful enough for her liking. Every time she thought about the forsaken line, she actually wondered who her parents are. For hundreds of years of existence, she had no clue who she really was. But that didn't surprise her. The other Guardians didn't seem to know who they were too.

She then heard shuffling. No. They were fluttering. She heard fluttering of wings. She turned to look at the golden butterfly at her side. Aside from its fluttering of wings, it didn't move. It was like the butterfly stared at her deepest soul. But then there's one thing she realized. The butterfly had an aura around it. The butterfly was made of sand. She knitted her eyebrows and held out a hand for the butterfly to land on. It obliged. It landed swiftly on one of her fingers. She brought it close to her face to inspect it. She touched it. Slowly and surely, the golden butterfly was now turned to black with silver lining. When she held her hand back, only then did she realized that there was already a swarm of golden sand butterflies around her. She looked around, trying to figure out where Rianne is. If it wasn't Rianne, it might be Sandy. But no, none of which seemed to be in there.

The only other person who was in the tower was Mother Nature.

She had literally appeared out of nowhere. Her face were inches from Jaq's face. Jaq was in shock of course. Mother Nature was there. Out of all the things she did about Nature, this was the first time she was visited by the Mother Nature herself. Her eyes traveled down to Mother Nature's feet and saw that she was hovering with the use of dark clouds. She then gulped as she noticed that the guardian hadn't taken her eyes away from her. After a few more seconds, Mother Nature back away, which finally made Jaq to be able to breath again. Her eyes was all Jaq could see. They were amber, much like hers.

"Jaq Noir." Mother Nature breathed out. Jaq wasn't sure of what to think. And that was the moment when she wished Manny would talk. But no. Nobody spoke in her mind. All she could hear was her throbbing heart. She wanted to run. She wanted to get out of there. But she couldn't seem to do it. There was something about the woman in front of her that made her stay. Maybe it was her piercing eyes, or maybe her warm aura, she didn't knew.

In an instant, she was engulfed in a warm hug. It was seconds before she realized that it was Mother Nature who was hugging her.

"I finally found you."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

"Oh for the love of Eros, Issa get up!" Anna scolded while Issa lied under a maple tree. She glared at her brunette friend. When they left at dawn, she made a note in her mind to return at sundown. Now, the sun's already descending and her friend was still sleeping under the tree. Honestly, she felt like she couldn't actually blame Issa for getting so tired. Getting chased by those shadow horses was definitely not on their bucket list. All they wanted to do was to investigate the village. And now that she was thought about it, walking in to that village was like volunteering for a stampede.

On the bright side, they were able to take a few from the sand. They placed in on a pouch. And that pouch was inside Issa's pocket, the same girl who was still asleep from exhaustion. Anna wanted to leave. But she can't leave her friend like this. Who knows what'll happen at night. The horse- no, the mares were powerful and scary at broad daylight, she didn't want to know what they were like at night.

When they arrived in the village, Anna realized that Daichi's memory was astounding. Everything was exactly like the way Daichi had described it. Except for the fact that it seemed that the people were suffering worse. The sand. The black sand was powerful. When Issa touched one, she said that it was like her worst memories came flooding back. Two tendrils almost got them, but they luckily escaped it, along with those nightmarish mares.

"Issaaaaa." Anna groaned, shaking the girl. "It's almost night! Come on, we gotta go!"

"Five…more…hours." Issa mumbled, turning away from Anna.

Anna rolled her eyes. "There is no five more hours, Issa. We have to go in five seconds!"

"Just go on without me."

"You're the one with wings!"

"Then get your own wings."

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"A Cupid without wings doesn't make any sense."

Anna lost her voice for two seconds, before shaking her head. "Can we just go now? Tooth will be so worried!"

At the mention of the fairy's name, Issa opened one of her eyes. She then sighed and faced Anna. She looked so weird when Issa looked at her horizontally. She finally got to her feet. She had to be honest, she see Tooth a mother figure. And she didn't want for her to worry. Half because she didn't want to worry her mother figure, and the other half because she was afraid that Tooth'll come flying to her and pinch her ear.

"Alright, I'm up! Happy?" Issa rolled her eyes as she took Anna's hand. Together they flew away from the dreaded place and headed on to the workshop.

* * *

When they arrived, they were greeted by silence. It was like there wasn't anybody there. As an instinct, Anna nocked an arrow and prepared for the worst. Issa, on the other hand, started creating balls of color-freckled light from her palms. The workshop had never been quiet before. Something must've happened while they were gone. Slowly but surely, they roamed around the main room. Searching and searching, they were surprised that even Jack Frost wasn't around. Even North himself wasn't around. Finally, they decided to search in the towers. They decided to stick together. Sure, it would be much faster if they split, but Anna was worried that one of them will get in trouble and nobody else was there to help them.

"There." Issa whispered. She pointed at a circular window at one of the towers. Black silvery sand was flowing from it. No doubt that it was Jaq. Silently, they opened the door to peek. North, Daichi, and Rianne were there. They all stood on top of Rianne's golden sand. And of course, Jaq was there too. It wasn't obvious since she couldn't fully hear it, but Jaq was shouting. She was shouting at an older woman in front of her. The woman had long luscious black hair. And hair dress was a lovely shade of green. All around her, golden butterflies were fluttering. She looked like she was trying to explain something to Jaq, but she wouldn't listen. Then they both stopped.

Jaq's amber eyes darted towards the moon. Her sand was going frantic all around the room. So frantic that Rianne shielded herself from the sand. After seconds of silence, Jaq disappeared from the room. The woman lowered her head, shaking it slightly. Rianne made a path for North. He walked towards the woman and placed her hand on her shoulder. Anna wondered who the woman is. She seemed so familiar.

"Mother Nature." Issa breathed out. Anna looked at her, making Issa repeat. "It's Mother Nature."

"But what is she doing here?" Anna asked to no one in particular. Silently as possible, she walked into the room, followed by Issa. Luckily, Rianne saw them and made a stairway for them. They both climbed it stood beside their friends.

"Why is she here?" Anna asked Rianne, who looked loss for words. "We weren't able to fully hear what Jaq was shouting about."

Daichi answered for Rianne. "Mother Nature's here for Jaq, _obviously_. When we got here, Mother Nature was holding Jaq's hands, trying to explain something we don't know. Her voice was too soft for us to hear. Jaq's shouts on the other hand, _that_ we can hear. She was shouting stuff about approaching her, leaving her. You know, stuff that makes you wonder if…"

Daichi trailed off, making Issa curious. "If what?"

He muttered something none of them heard. He then shook his head and said softly. "Impossible."

"She's gone." Rianne said. They both followed Rianne's gaze to see North standing by himself. Mother Nature was gone. Slowly, North walked towards them. There was something in his eyes that made Anna wonder what they talked about. They all looked at North, awaiting for him to say something. Anything. Instead, he just shook his head.

"Won't tell me anything." He sighed. "But I do have a hunch."

"Me too." Daichi answered. The girls looked at him. Anna wondered how smart the boy is. She shook her head and turned her attention back to North.

"What is it?" She asked timidly, hoping the guardian would answer her. But no, he just shook his head again.

"It has to be discussed with the others." North quietly said, as he walked down the stairs Rianne made.

Again, Anna wondered what they talked about. What did they talked about that made North act so serious all of a sudden. And now, she wondered why everything around her was becoming dark, until it consumed her.

When the darkness was over, she looked around to see that she was in another place. In front of her, she had a view of the Eiffel Tower. She was in France. She looked around to see that the moon was covered here. He was covered by the clouds. And she just noticed that she was on the roof of some building. On the edge of the roof, stood a girl she'd grown familiar with.

Jaq's amber eyes held fury in them. But Anna couldn't help but to see a hint of sadness within the girl's fierce eyes. A hint of sadness that she believed she'd seen since the first time they met. Only now did that sadness seem to actually show. Sadness mixed with rage.

"Anna." She spiked silently. "I need to talk to you."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

"Jaq, are you alright?" Anna asked the girl in front of her. It was silly of her, she knew. It was silly of her to ask that. The girl was obviously not alright. There was something on going inside her head. But none of them, not Anna nor Jaq herself, seems to know what it is. Jaq was confused in all this, that was the only thing Anna knew. Other than that, all Anna could see was rage. Well, sadness was there too. But it was still overpowered by the girl's rage. And as of the moment, she knew the girl was about to say something, but she just shook her head and sighed. Jaq sat on the edge of the roof. And Anna sat beside her.

"I'm evil, aren't I?" Jaq suddenly asked. Anna looked at her, absolutely baffled. Why would Jaq ask that?

" _Evil_? What makes you think that." She asked her. Sure, Jaq was a bit scary at times, with her black silvery sad always having an aura around her. And not to mention her appearance. The girl's pale skin, and long jet black hair surely made an imprint on people's mind. And she didn't want to mention the girl's eyes. Her amber eyes that glowed sometimes. Her startling, amber eyes. But Anna knew there was something more. There was always something more than meets the eye.

Jaq shrugged. "How I look, how I act, and how you guys see me. Admit it, all of you thought I'm evil at least once."

Anna bit the inside of her cheek. She was guilty with this one. The first time she saw Jaq in a dark forest, she immediately took her as evil. And it wasn't just that once. It was every time they saw each other when they weren't Guardians yet.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." Jaq smirked.

"If you really are evil, then why did Manny choose you to be a guardian?" Anna looked at her. Anna guessed that that fact was the one that made her think that there was something more to Jaq. The Man in the Moon had made Jaq a guardian. A Guardian is a protector. Not a destructor.

Jaq shrugged again. "Pity?"

"Pity?"

"I don't know, okay." Jaq snapped. Her eyes were glowing once again. "It's just- I know I'm evil."

"How?"

Jaq opened her palm as her sand formed something that looked like a horse. No, it was a mare. The exact creatures that were terrorizing the village they had gone to. But no, Jaq's looked different. Hers had tendrils of silver sand all around their body. Jaq looked at Anna. "Seemed familiar, doesn't it?"

"No, yours are different." Anna shook her head.

"It's because I didn't make them, dolt." Jaq let the mare loose. It then started galloping in the air, making its way to Anna. It circled Anna, and there was only one thing she could think of. It was really different from the ones in the village. Those in the village radiated fear. The one from Jaq eased it. It eased fear.

Then a thought popped into her head.

"So, why do you consider yourself as evil?" Anna asked the girl again as the mare vanished.

"Don't you ever wonder why I have a power like this?" Jaq looked at her.

Come to think of it, she did. Sand. It seemed so...original. Of course, Sandman has the same power, but Anna had thought he was the only one who held such power. But then, Anna met Rianne, a girl who had the same power as Sandman. And come to think of it, Jaq's power was of sand too. But hers was different from Rianne and Sandman. It was dark.

"Are you saying that..." Anna trailed off. She stood up. "No."

Jaq noticed her immediate action, her eyes travelling from Anna's foot to her eyes. "I told you."

"You're different from him." Anna's voice quivered. It was impossible. The only other person she knew of such power, was the Boogeyman. Pitch Black.

"I'm not very different from him, so it seems." Jaq eyed her, eyes glowing brighter. "In fact, I have his blood."

Anna shook her head. "Even if you're his daught-"

"I'm not his daughter, moron." Jaq said bitterly. She opened her palm again and let loose a butterfly.

Anna understood now.

"Jaq, you can't just judge yourself because of your bloodline." Anna whispered, hoping to get through to the girl's head. "You're you. Don't let anything define you. You're not like him. I know that."

"How? How can you know?" Jaq replied bitterly.

Anna thought back to all the things that had happened before.

"You care." Anna spoke timidly. Jaq whipped her head to the girl.

"What?"

Anna repeated her word, this time louder. "You care. Remember when I followed the Northern Lights? You cared about me having a cold."

"Anyone would do that, Amour." Jaq sneered again.

"No, others won't." Anna shook her head.

Jaq rolled her eyes. It wasn't true. She doesn't care for them. She could've have. She believed that she doesn't even have the proper emotion for caring. She couldn't care less if they rolled on the ground and died. Especially now. With those roots of hers, she was certain about herself. She was evil.

"Jaq, you transported me back to the Pole." Anna took a step forward. "If you really are as evil as you say you are, you would've left me there and die. But no. You chose to help. You chose to help me find my way back. Believe me, you are a good person. Even if you think that evil flows in your veins just because you're his granddaughter, you are more than that."

"I didn't transport you here for a pep talk, you know." Jaq faked yawned. "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving."

" _What_?" Anna's eyes widened. Jaq couldn't leave.

"Like you said, I'm his granddaughter." Jaq looked at the sky. "Staying with you all is not the best choice."

"Jaq you can't just leave." Anna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Actually." Jaq smirked. "I can."

And with that, Jaq disappeared into the shadows.

"Jaq!" Anna screamed. She couldn't let the girl leave. She didn't care if the girl was the granddaughter of Pitch Black. No. She should've forced her to stay. They could've helped her. She looked at the sky, hoping for any sign of the moon. But no. He wasn't there. As she sat on the roof, she contemplated. Jaq was utterly something. Then she realized a major thing she just missed. Jaq didn't leave them because of nothing. She didn't want them in trouble. As Pitch Black's granddaughter, she could endanger them all.

She cares.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

"She's Pitch's _granddaughter_?" Rianne's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. In fact, none of them could believe it. They all thought Jaq has evil roots of course, but they never expected it to be Pitch Black. And not to mention her mother. Mother Nature. Of course. Rianne should have known it the moment she laid eyes on the Guardian. Their hair, their complexion, their poise. It was the same. And their eyes. Those amber orbs. The exact same orbs Pitch Black has. They all shared it.

"I knew she was bad news!" Daichi huffed. "I can't believe I kinda belie-"

"Daichi, she doesn't even know about it 'til yesterday!" Issa snapped. "She couldn't have possibly be working for him!"

Daichi eyed her. "Hold on, why are _you_ defending her? Didn't you help me to try to exploit her? So why are you being all goody-goody now? Don't tell me yo-"

"Alright that's enough!" Anna shouted. She glared at Daichi. "What's your problem with her anyway? Why are you so desperate in making her seem bad?"

"Because I know she is!" Daichi fired back. "Pitch Black? Come on! You know how evil he is. We all do! And don't try to counter me by saying she's related to Mother Nature too. You know how messed up she is too!"

"Now that's just offensive." Issa rolled her eyes.

"That's too far, Daichi." Anna gripped her bow. Right there, right now, she wanted to shoot an arrow through the boy's head, just to see how really thick he is.

"You're scared." Rianne piped up. Her sand was going frantic around her. It was floating all around.

"Excuse me?" Daichi furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're scared of her." Rianne repeated, this time her voice was louder. More confident.

"And why would I be scared of her?" Daichi rolled his eyes.

"Because maybe, just maybe, you don't understand her." Rianne spoke timidly. "You're a gifted person, Daichi. Good with machineries, that's for sure. But that's your problem too. You understand machines too well, but you can't understand how the people around you works. Especially her."

The room went silent.

Daichi went silent.

Both his heart and head pondered.

He never truly did understand people. Not even one. But of course, by time, he got used to it. He got used to not fully understanding how they act and think. He got used that they have different kinds of bolts and gears in their heads. But meeting Jaq was different. She'S unpredictable. Too unpredictable. Daichi thought of her more as a broken machine, rather than a fellow being. But no, he wasn't afraid of her. He was afraid of what the machine could do.

"Sorry, I m-might've went too far on that." Rianne blushed, approaching Daichi. He backed away, shaking his head.

"No. Don't be." He muttered. "But I do have a proposition."

"Don't tell me that it's something about Jaq again." Anna frowned. She was tired of this. She was tired of he other Guardians accusing Jaq of such things.

"Yes, it's about her."

"You have got to be kidding m-"

"We have to get her back."

The girls were stunned.

Anna couldn't have guessed that decision of his. Since the moment Daichi saw Jaq, Anna was sure he despised her. He loathed her. He had done everything in his will to keep her away. And now, he was the one proposing to get her back.

Issa wondered what changed his mind. Right from the start, he was the one who wanted to get away from Jaq as possible. He was the one who really wanted to get rid of Jaq. But now, he was the one who really wanted to bring her back.

Rianne stared at him. She froze in shock. Daichi was never the one who liked Jaq. She even remembered him telling to himself that there must be at least 3 meters of distance between him and Jaq. And Rianne couldn't help but wonder why he wanted her back.

"Just to be clear." Daichi started as he picked up his tool belt, attaching it to him. "I don't want her back because I befriended her. A girl like her holds a lot of power, being Pitch Black's granddaughter. I just dont want that power to be used against us. And the world."

And with that, he left.

"Well…he has a point." Issa looked at Anna. "With a power like hers, we don't know what could happen."

"Yeah, but we can't just go across the world alone." Anna looked over to the window and out to the horizon. "Jaq could go anywhere she wants to. None of us can know where she exactly is."

She turned to look at her friends. "We're gonna need all the help we need."

* * *

"Wait, hold on, so you're telling me that Daichi thought of this?" Jack Frost asked with confused look on his face.

Anna nodded.

"I know, I couldn't believe it either." Issa said as she put on her coat.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" North looked at Anna, who just stumbled back.

"You're asking _me_? For a plan?" Anna asked, baffled.

"Well, she talks more to you more than she does to any of us." Bunnymund tapped his foot.

"But Daich-"

"Just assign us where to search." Daichi said sharply. He was toying with a mechanical device that seemed to be forgotten in the workshop. His gaze wasn't in the plan, but his heart was.

Anna nodded and began assigning. Knowing that she might be here somewhere, Anna asked North to check the mountains far across the Pole. He agreed in doing so, immediately asking for some yetis to come with.

Anna then asked Tooth, Issa and Jack to check the forests. And by forest, she meant every forest in the world. At first, Issa hesitated at the thought. But looking into it, Tooth had so much fairies than she could count to help. And with their ability of flight, they could get the job done. They all said their farewells and got to the task.

Approaching Rianne and Sandy, she asked them if they could check the Northern countries. Strange enough, Jaq was fascinated with darkness and coldness. The two agreed with no hesitation and took of.

The only people left were Anna and Daichi.

"Ugh, that's so stupid of me!" Anna scrunched up her face and paced around the room. Daichi looked at her with his green eyes. He raised his eyebrow in question. Anna looked at him with a wild look in her eyes. "The boy!"

"Boy? What boy?" Daichi questioned once more.

"There's this boy that Jaq always visit! She might go back there!" Anna tugged his arm, obviously wanting to go to the village.

"Wait, hold on, how do you suppose we get there?" Daichi retorted. "You didn't leave anyone who has the ability to fly, dummy!"

"Well, you like tinkering! Tinker!" Anna exclaimed.

"Wh-"

"Just do it! We're in a workshop!"

"Fine, just get me parts I need!" Daichi rolled his eyes and took out some tools.

All his life, he never really knew how he managed to build machineries. He never knew how he found out to build such thing. He never even knew how he knew this gear would be perfect for this one. All he knew was that his hands did the work. It was like his hands are on autopilot. There were even time when he never knew what he created until he tested it. And that said, it was very much like to what he created just now.

He looked at what he did with so little of time. And he was surprised.

It was a hot air balloon.

"How'd you know how to build one?" Anna asked in wonder.

"It's just a hot air balloon, nothing much." Daichi shrugged. "Besides, the hard part was for you to find an empty tank."

Anna shrugged as well. "Come on, let's get this inside."

* * *

"How is it possible that people don't see you?" Daichi asked Anna as they floated above cities. They were on their way to the village, and they were sure that they'll make it in time. It was just dusk. They still have plenty of time.

Anna shrugged. "People believe in love, not in Cupid I guess."

"Isn't love supposed to be your center?"

"Center?" Anna looked at him, as they both stood, facing the horizon.

Daichi's cheeks tainted red and he rubbed his nape. "North kinda gave me a pep talk. About oneself. He said something about knowing what your center is. And long story short, it's like your main goal. Yours is love, right."

Anna fell silent. It was the same question the kept on reappearing in her mind. Why can't people see her. But maybe she had already known the answer, but wishes to not acknowledge it. Everything around her seemed to fuelled with hatred. Even if the people doesn't notice it, she does. Each and everyone had a burning sensation in their lungs because of a certain person. She can even feel it with the boy beside her.

She sighed and looked at Daichi. "Let's stay focus on our task, shall we?"

Daichi nodded.

Anna stared at him. She felt honoured, to be honest. She felt honoured to see this side of Daichi. The side that seemed to be his childish side. He was usually the aloof one that's for sure. And it was rare to see him actually have feelings. And with that, Anna felt honoured.

As they landed on the grass. They planned to stay hidden near the home of the young boy. And as night came by, so did the shadows.

"Anna." Daichi tapped his friend.

"She's here."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Come on, before she leaves." Daichi tapped Anna, and discreetly walked towards the house. As they came closer, the atmosphere around them started to get colder. They came to a halt when they approached the wall with the window above. With no other means of getting up there, Daichi offered to give Anna a boost. She was reluctant at first, of course. But she gave in. Once she caught the rim of the window, she managed to pull herself up. She positioned herself to where she thinks that can support her well enough to bring Daichi there. And luckily, they managed.

"Son of a witch, you're heavy." Anna muttered as she pulled Daichi up. And fortunately for her, Daichi managed to pull himself up once he caught the rim. They both stood there, and peeked at the window. Jaq's back was facing them, but other than her, they couldn't see anything else. The girl's sand was scattered all around the room; floating, covering the room's atmosphere. Anna's breath hitched. She started to pull herself into the room. That was until Jaq's head twitched. She was then looking at them behind her back, her amber eyes glowing. Before any of them could speak, Jaq dispersed into the shadows and sand, then flew harshly out the window.

Anna gasped as she lost balance. Luckily, Daichi caught her hand. But then of course, the sudden weight managed to make him loose balance as well, sending them both to the ground.

"She could've just roamed through the shadows." Daichi groaned as he stretched his arm.

"She has a knack of dramatic entrances and exits." Anna groaned as well. Her head was swelling so much that she felt like cutting it off. That was the mild one. The one that truly hurt was her leg. She tried standing up, but her leg ached in pain. Daichi pulled her up and supported her as they walked towards the hot air balloon.

"Dammit, you're heavy." Daichi muttered as they trudged along.

Anna knitted her eyebrows. "Excuse me? You're heavier than me."

"I'm a boy, of course I'm heavier than you." He shot back. "But you're heavy for a girl."

"I am not!"

"Well, Rianne's definitely lighter than you by- a lot."

"Wait hold on." Anna added weight to her other leg, making them stop. She raised her eyebrow and looked at Daichi mischievously. "You carried Rianne?"

"It's just a guess." Daichi rolled his eyes. "Girl's skinnier than you."

"Right." Anna smirked as they started walking again.

* * *

Rianne looked over the mountains of Norway. They were dark, cold, and beautiful at the same time. And it was dark all around. Her only light was from the glow of her sand. Walking through the mountains, she definitely wished she wore something more than a yellow sundress. But she guess her outfit wasn't the worst thing right now. Jaq was nowhere to be seen. And with her power, she could bring destruction to the world.

She had been afraid of her, of course. From the moment she saw her, she reminded Rianne of Pitch Black. With her black and silver sand. She was like the duplicate of him. And Rianne was the duplicate of Sandy. And Rianne wondered what would happen if Jaq touched her sand. Would it turn to black and silver? Would she get hurt? Would she die?

Her train of thoughts crashed when she saw a sparkle in the night sky. She looked up only to see that it wasn't a sparkle. It was the Northern Lights. North was calling them? Right now? Rianne would've went back to the workshop...If the moon didn't appear. Rianne stopped dead cold when the Manny revealed himself from the dark clouds. It was like he was telling her not to leave. Not to leave but to follow. The only question she had was to follow what.

And once again, the Man in the Moon was covered by the clouds.

And Rianne was left there, confused.

She looked around for any sign to know what to follow. And then it hit her. She was so stupid not get it so fast. She formed a cloud of sand and flew up, following the Northern Lights. While she followed the lights, she started to doubt. What if the Northern Lights wasn't supposed to be the one she followed? What if North needed her? What if Manny told her to follow North? Wha-

Rianne stopped when she saw a hurl of black and silver sand between the mountains. She immediately landed and approached the said sand. But she stopped. Jaq wasn't alone. Rianne quickly hid behind a wall of rock. She heard whispers. Then the whispers turned to yells. No, there was only one person yelling. It was Jaq.

" ** _Shut up!_** " Jaq yelled with her hoarse voice. " **Get out of here!** "

Rianne peeked and saw a huge tendril of black and silver sand, pierced through a figure made of black sand. She gasped when she recognized the figure. It was Pitch. He was there. No. He wasn't there. It was just sand.

She turned her head to the left and saw Jaq nowhere to be seen. She was so focused on the figure of Pitch that she didn't notice Jaq leave.

And now she was wondering what Jaq and Pitch's duplicate were talking about.

* * *

"Great, why the hell did I even agreed to this?" Issa muttered as she walked through a forest. It was the same forest they first saw Jaq. It brought back memories. And not the good kind. All she could think of were her amber eyes. And now that she knew her origins, it wasn't just her she remembers by those eyes. Those amber eyes are the same ones from Pitch Black. From Mother Nature. And it certainly didn't help that she was in a forest. At night. Searching for Jaq.

It would've been so much better if Tooth or Jack were there. Even with the little tooths. But no. Since the world has a lot of forest, they decided to split up by a lot. And just her luck, Tooth told her to check the forest they first met. Wow. Lucky her.

But of course, she had to follow. Both Daichi and Anna are right. Jaq doesn't seem to be like her grandfather. And her power can bring destruction in the wrong command. The black mares they saw, it wasn't from Jaq; it was from Pitch. Meaning Pitch must be back. North hadn't confirmed yet, of course. But Issa knew that he feels his return. And Issa wished her mind didn't bring up the scene from the village. Those people. She wasn't sure what the ancient guardian was trying to achieve. But she was sure of one thing; Pitch was terrorizing them.

And come to think of it, if Pitch was really back. And if he wanted to get Jaq on his side. Issa doesn't really wanna get in the way. Because based on her situation now, she was sure Pitch could take her out with a snap of his fingers. Issa shivered at the thought and continued to roam.

Between the gaps of the trees above, Issa could see the illuminating moon. Such a wonder it is. She silently wished for his guidance. And maybe, just maybe, the hope of Jaq figuring herself out. But what she didn't knew at the time was that the moon would give her an answer in its littlest form.

As Issa walked along, she noticed her crystalline wings sparkling light despite the dark woods. She looked at her side and saw a ray from the moon, reflecting in one of the fractals. And the single shard reflected it to another. And it reflected to another and so on. Until it stopped when of the fractals reflected a ray of light that landed on the small pouch tied to her waist.

She remembered that pouch. It was the same pouch she placed the sand from the village. And it was….floating. It was floating to the right. Extraordinary. She untied the thin rope around her waist that holds the pouch, holding it in front of her. She started following it until it lead her to a cave. She stared at it for a minute, hesitating whether she should enter or not she should enter.

"The things I do for the world." Issa rolled her eyes and entered the cave. She really didn't know what she expected, but it was just like what a cave should be. It was dark and creepy. She shivered and formed a ball of light from her hands.

She used to wonder what her power does. One time, she purposely hit a person with it and saw the effects. The person seemed, relaxed. As if he were remembering something. Something that made his heart feel warm. When that happened, Issa started using it to people who looked gloomy. And in fact, they did get better. Some even went to shops and parks. She wasn't quite sure what her power is. But whatever it is, children were fond of it. They smiled and laughed. So whatever her power really was, she didn't care as long it made people happy.

She stared at the ball of light in her hands. It was kinda cute in her opinion, with its coloured dots, like the ones that came out of a party popper.

With the light, she looked around the cave. Only to find out that it wasn't just a cave. It was a room. There was a worn out bed on the corner with a chest at its foot. Beside the bed was a lamp. She approached it and lit up the lamp. It still works. She stepped back and saw that the wall beside the bed was covered in drawings, sketches, and polaroids. All posted there with tape. She went up the bed and looked closer at the polaroids. They were polaroids of cities and towns. Some were even of Nature. She froze. There was a Polaroid of her and Anna. Written on it was: Cupid and Nostalgia. She jumped back. Her breathing got heavy.

And why did she not notice it before? Beside the lamp, there was a torn picture. She picked it up and saw the caption: Who am I?

She looked at the wall again, trying to find the other half of the picture. And there it was. Slowly, she stepped on the bed again and removed the other half of the photo. It was Jaq. This was Jaq's room. She placed the two halves of the photo on the pocket of her coat. The she froze. The pouch was still floating. It was floating towards behind her.

Slowly she turned around.

Bad idea.

A huge mass of dark sand was there. It was formed in a man. 'Oh no' She thought. Pitch.

The shadow swarmed her and she screamed with all her life.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

"We're back!" Anna screeched as she opened the door to the workshop. Finally, they were back. When they arrived to their hot air balloon, they were shocked to see it destroyed. Well, to be honest, she was shocked. Daichi, not so much. He figured that Jaq did it. Lucky enough for them, Daichi was gifted when it comes to machineries, and he managed to fix it in no time. "And we saw her! She was in the village where the boy is!"

"Boy? What boy?" Tooth approached them with curiosity and worry, her feathers standing up.

"Great, they saw her too!" Bunnymund, who searched some parts of the world, groaned. He, just like the others, had claimed that they had seen the girl. He had seen her sitting on a tree, playing with her sand. But the moment she saw him, she disappeared into the night.

"I swear I saw her!" North, who saw the girl walking around on the mountains, complained at the Pooka.

Sandy, who was of course as quiet as a mouse, indicated with his sand that he saw her in Alaska, roaming around forests.

"Wait, let's say that we all saw her okay?" Jack spoke up, trying to calm the two Guardians. He then looked at Anna and Daichi. "But Anna and Daichi… they said something about a boy. Something only the two of them saw."

"Well, who's this boy then?" Bunnymund asked, slightly aggravated.

"Uhhh, well, we're not actually quite sure." Daichi scratched the back of his neck. He then looked at Bunnymund who raised his eyebrow, thumping his right foot rapidly. "But, they said Jaq had been visiting him frequently."

Tooth looked at her fellow older Guardians, wondering if they knew of the boy. But all of them seemed to be oblivious about it as well. Yet whoever the boy is, they must go to him. They had to know why Jaq would go to the boy.

"We couldn't possibly just go to him!" Bunnymund retorted. North groaned and glared at him.

"That boy could be in danger, Bunnymund!" North retorted back.

"What if h-"

"Just hold on a second!" Anna looked around the room. No one seemed to have noticed it before. But it was all she felt the moment she arrived. She looked at her fellow Guardians. "Where's Issa?"

That was when the room felt silent.

"Well, we did split up." Tooth said in a worried tone. "She should be back any minute now."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that girl won't get lost." Daichi placed a hand on Anna's shoulder in hopes of reassuring her. But no. Anna was frantic on the inside. It wasn't like Issa to be out this late. She was usually afraid of the dark. And knowing the girl, Issa would never want to stray.

"She'll be back, don't worry." Jack Frost said. He knew he shouldn't have left the girl alone. It was too dangerous. He should've went with her. But no, he decided to let her roam on her own. Without any guidance. Having full knowledge that Jaq and Issa weren't quite what you call besties. And now Issa was missing. He knew he should've went with her.

Suddenly, as if to break the ice, a loud thump was heard at the door. The Guardians looked at one another, fearing what could be behind the door. Anna, who had hope that it would be Issa, walked slowly towards the door while preparing her bow and arrow. The other Guardians followed suit, preparing their defended against what could be behind the door. Jack Frost, who flew near the door, slowly opened it.

"Oh my goodness, Issa!" Anna gasped as she jumped towards the frail body on the floor. North rushed over the two girls and carried Issa inside the room, placing her down on a sofa.

"What happened to you?" Tooth rushed over to Issa, caressing her cheek. She was weak. Almost as if all her soul was sucked out of her.

In reply, Issa whispered. "Pitch."

The other Guardians' faces paled.

"I s-saw Jaq's old h-home." Issa stuttered as she tried to sit up. Jack ended up helping her to sit. "Thanks." Jack nodded in return. "But, I don't know if I could call it a home. It was a cave. And when I entered… I saw…. I saw… I suddenly saw Pitch. Well, not exactly Pitch b-"

"Sand." Rianne cut her off. They all looked at her. "I saw that form too. Talking to Jaq."

"Exactly. Then the next thing I knew…it…it-"

"Breathe, Issa. _Breathe_." Anna calmed her friend down. Issa nodded carefully before opening her mouth again.

"It swarmed over me, a-and then darkness." Issa shivered. "No… it's not just darkness…it's like fear was making its way into my brain."

Rianne gasped. The girl was currently at the back of Issa. And just then did she see the problem. She thought that Issa was just tired of what happened, but no.

Bunnymund decided to take a look. "We have some sort of a problem here, mate." He looked at North.

"What? What is it?" Issa turned around and looked at them. The moment she turned around, Anna froze in shock. Tooth placed her hands on her mouth to conceal a gasp.

Daichi bit his lip and placed a hand on Issa, who was still asking the others about what's happening. He sat on the sofa and slowly informed Issa of the dilemma. "Issa, it's… it's your wing…."

Issa looked at him in horror. No. No she won't accept it. Never. It can't be. She doesn't want to believe it. Not now. Not ever.

"What?" Issa croaked, a tear falling down her cheek. "What about my wing."

"Issa, it's broken."

Another tear fell.

She reached out for her wonderful crystalline wings. And sure enough, her right one was broken. She could feel the sharp edges of what's left of it with her fingertips. And slowly, the tears fell.

Anna shoved Daichi out of the way and hugged her dearest friend friend. "Hey, hey it's okay. Shh. It's alright."

The other Guardians looked away, unable to look at the scene in front of them.

It was a few minutes before Issa's sobs quiet down. Then Anna took her to her room to rest. The girl had gone through so much.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

It was the night after the accident and Issa still wouldn't come out of her room. Was she scared? No. Was she terrified? No. She was petrified. She wasn't even sure of what happened. If there was one thing she's sure about, it was the fact that fear was coursing through her veins. And she was letting it.

Anna visited her every hour, asking if she needed anything. There was a lot of things she needed. Rest. Peace. Her wing. Her past. But every time, she said no. And every time, Anna would let herself in and ask Issa if she's alright. Of course she's not. Try to be terrorized by the person you feared the most, then let's see if you're alright. But Issa's response was always a shrug.

North visited her too. On a very different matter of course. He didn't want to know about her welfare, even if he pretended to. Or was it just Issa's mind messing with her? She doesn't know. Anyway, North wanted to know things about Pitch. For instance, how she found the cave. Issa only shrugged and gave North the pouch filled with the same sand that haunted her.

All day long, the only thing she did was stare at the clouds. She wouldn't even come down to eat. But not to worry, her sanity was still with her. At least, she thinks it is.

"Issa?"

It was Anna. Issa didn't bother to look at her. She just sat still on the windowsill and stared at the night sky where the clouds was covering up the moon. _'Do you need anything?_ ' She guessed.

"Do you need anything?"

' _Ha, I was right._ ' Issa shook her head.

"Let me know if you need anything okay?" Anna replied. Issa could feel her enter the room and sit down at her bed. Issa just nodded.

"Are you alright."

Issa shrugged.

"No you're not."

Issa shrugged.

"Come on, Issa. Tell me what's wrong."

Issa spoke.

"Everything."

Anna stayed silent.

Seconds passed and none of them said a word.

Anna sighed and went to sit on the windowsill. She looked at Issa. She was worried.

"Issa, come on." Anna sighed. "You know you could tell me anything."

Still, Issa didn't speak.

Anna sighed once more and headed out of the room.

"I saw a picture of us, by the way."

Anna stopped. She looked at her friend, who was still staring at the sky.

"I saw a picture of us, in the cave." Issa spoke once more. "Written underneath it was 'Cupid and Nostalgia'."

This intrigued Anna. She wanted to say something. Anything. But she knew that there were no words left to say. So instead, she left quietly.

Anna immediately ran to North. She told him about the picture. North was shocked of the news. The only thing he said was to get Bunnymund, Jack, Tooth and Sandy. With hesitation, she followed his orders. Yet she can't shake off the feeling that the older Guardians weren't feeling them something. She shook of this feeling and went to Rianne.

The quiet girl was at the Globe Room, gazing at the moon, who was now in sight.

"What're you doing here?" Anna asked her.

"Just wondering." Rianne replies with her mellow voice.

"About what?"

"If the Man in the Moon could help us."

"What do you mean?"

"Jack once told me how Manny seemed to reply to Jaq." Rianne looked at Anna. "Do you think that there's some sort of connection?"

"I… don't know."

They remained silent.

Rianne looked back at the moon. Anna followed suit, hoping to then moon that Jaq was alright.

* * *

Jaq was having the time of her life!

The past few days, she have been jumping from country to country! City to city!

Well, it would've been wonderful if she stayed at those places longer.

She had been trying to avoid every kind of Nature there was. But of course, that was impossible. And she was also trying to avoid every shadow and darkness. But that was impossible too. Especially when the shadow searched for her instead. She was so sick of it. She can't even return to her old home (if you can call a cave a home) without those nasty sand following her.

As of the moment, she was sitting on top of Mount Everest. Yeah, she knows it was Nature stuff, but she couldn't give a damn about it. She doubts that her Mother wants her as bad as her grandfather.

' _You have to return_.'

A familiar voice spoke in her mind.

"No thanks."

' _They're in danger_.'

"They're gonna be in more danger if I'm with them."

' _Can't you see? With a power like yours, you could be the only one to stop him_.'

"Uh, I highly doubt that." Jaq stared at the bright moon. "Jack Frost once found a way to defeat him remember? He'll find a way again."

' _I highly doubt that_ ' He mocked her.

Jaq scoffed. "And they say you're supposed to be an all ancient one." She rolled her eyes and started imitating North. "Full of _wisdom and knowledge_." She chuckled. "Yet here you are, mocking me."

' _I'm a being of ancient knowledge_.' Jaq thought that if she could see him, he was probably smirking. ' _I can mock you when I want_.'

' _But enough of this_.'

Jaq looked at the moon with her left eyebrow raised.

' _The reason I spoke to you is because one of them was harmed._ '

Jaq immediately stood up. "What?"

'Issa Memoir had an undesirable accident the previous night.'

"And you just told me now?" Jaq rolled her eyes and groaned. She closed her eyes and blocked him out. Though she could still feel him entering her mind. But she pushed it away, trying to focus of what to do. After a moment, the presence of the Man in the Moon was no longer with her. The moment she opened her eyes, she was met with a huge mass of sand. The ones she came familiar with. "Oh not now!"

She used her own sand to disperse it. Then she transported out of the mountain and headed to the place she might've called home.

Quietly, she transported inside. She wanted to go to Issa. But then the girl might scream in terror. So instead, she tried to find the older Guardians. But for some strange reason, they weren't there. So of course, she went to Anna.

She found the girl at the Globe Room, standing alongside Rianne. The two were staring at the moon, still visible to them.

"Don't praise him too much." Jaq interrupted the solemn air as she leaned on a post. "He gets a bit big-headed."

Anna and Rianne turned to her with shock written on their faces. Jaq smirked as she saw Anna's hand, reaching for the arrow. She then raised her hands in defeat. "I didn't come here to fight."

Yet Anna still placed her arrow on the bow, ready to strike.

"Okay then." Jaq gulped. "You became deaf."

Whoosh.

The arrow passed Jaq and landed on the black sand that was following her. Jaq sighed in relief, looking behind her. "For a second there I thought you were gonna kill me."

Once she looked back at the two, she was punched. At the jaw. She didn't stumble back though. When she turned to look who exactly did it, she was surprised to see Anna.

"I told you not to go!" Anna fumed in anger. No. Not anger. It was worry. It was… fear. "I told you that it would be better if you stayed with us! But did you listen?! No!"

Jaq stared at girl's face. She stared at Anna's eyes. It was brimming in tears. All her life, Jaq never really understood why people cry. Sure, they lost their friend, but it really wasn't something to cry about. People shouldn't cry about things that aren't worth their time. Yet here she is, face to face with Anna, finally understanding why. People cry because they care.

She sighed. "Look, I… apologize. But I really need to see Issa."

"You know what happened?" Rianne asked with her soft gentle voice.

"Not exactly."

Rianne nodded grimly.

* * *

Anna, as always, asked Issa if she needed anything. Issa, who was still sitting on the windowsill hadn't notice that Jaq had went int.

The moment Jaq laid her eyes upon the girl, she felt pity. That was all she could feel. She brought her hand to her mouth as she looked at the girl's broken wings. Wings that were once full of color and life, now became dull and gray.

Jaq approached her quietly. Jaq then made her hand hover on top of Issa's head. Slowly, she started swaying her hand. And slowly, black sand moved their way towards it. Jaq raised her hand, still doing movements with it.

Anna watched as Jaq used her hand to pull out the black sand. Well, whatever that sand was. Anna slowly approached them as Jaq saw a form on amidst the black sand. Jaq sighed and managed to take a few sand away, but the rest returned to Issa.

"What did you do?" Anna whispered to Jaq.

Issa, who felt a new feeling surges through her, looked behind her. She clinched as she saw Jaq.

"You're back." She muttered. She was about to smile since Jaq finally has the sense to return, but then she remembered the pictures on her cave. Issa pointed her hand at Jaq, ready to blast her with all her might. "Why did you call me Nostalgia."

Jaq, who stood there, unmoved by the fact that Issa's going to harm her, just raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"I saw you're cave." Issa said through gritted teeth. "I saw the pictures. Now, why did call me Nostalgia."

Jaq didn't answer. She didn't speak. She only stared. Then, she sighed. "You have to find out for yourself. But please, I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here." Issa demanded.

"I'm here to help."

"Help? What do you mean by help?" Anna interjected between the conversation. But Jaq did not look at her. Jaq's eyes remained at Issa.

"I know North wouldn't tell you about this." Jaq sighed. "Still thinks you guys are children, that one."

Nobody gave her a response.

"Look, no matter what North tells you." Jaq took in a deep breath. "Pitch's growing stronger in each passing second. There's lots of fear in our time. There's lots of places for him to feed on. And after some time... He'll attack.

A lot stronger than before."


	15. Chapter 14

"So how are we exactly sure that you won't set us up?" Daichi leaned on the doorframe of Jaq's room. Actually, he was there for a good minute or two without the girl even noticing. He guessed she was too busy scribbling on a notebook to notice people. And of course, the moment he said those words, Jaq jumped and rapidly tidied her desk that was filled with papers. Daichi raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Jaq growled at him. Daichi just shrugged and knocked on the open door. Jaq rolled her eyes. "What do you want anyway?"

"Just wanna ask when're you're planning to set us up." Daichi stared at the amber eyes of the girl. She raised her eyebrow, not fully understanding why Daichi won't trust her at least once. Oh, wait. Yes she does. It's because she keeps so much secrets! Yes that was probably it. Or maybe it was the fact that she's related to the 'Guardian' that wanted (and still wants) to take over the world with fear. Yeah, maybe that's why. Jaq just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Look, Daichi." She sighed. "I swear, I'm not setting any of you up."

"How do we know that?" Daichi raised his eyebrows, not giving in to her words. For all he knew, she could be deceiving them. She might've already sided with Pitch.

Jaq, on the other hand, was tired of him. Sure, she's the granddaughter of Pitch Black. But that doesn't freaking mean that she's as mean as him… Okay she can be as mean as him, but not as evil. She has Mother Nature's blood! She can't be evil. But of course Mother Nature happened to kill human being with her nasty tantrums that turns to hurricanes. Or those earthquakes. But she's good. Even with a lot of people disrespecting her, she still give them gifts and blessings. No matter how much they hurt her, she still give them a ray of sunshine. Yeah, she's not evil.

"Just come here." Jaq motioned Daichi to come towards her. He obliged hesitantly. Once he got closer to the desk, he saw the endless writing and sketches. Jaq then pointed to a sketch of the map of Europe. Pointing at Paris, she sighed. "There's a town there. Just like the one we saw at Mexico."

"The one with the black sand?" Daichi furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the map. On her map, there were four pinned countries. Two of them are Paris and Mexico. Then Russia. Then England. "Those too?" Daichi pointed at the other two.

Jaq grimly nodded. "Which is what I don't get." She muttered. "There's no pattern of some sort to the towns. It seems so… random."

"The boy." Daichi looked at Jaq. "He's from Paris, is he not?"

"Yes, he is." Jaq replied.

"What were you doing to him anyway?"

Jaq looked at Daichi, her amber eyes piercing through his green ones. Jaq then sighed.

"The boy, I figured, was afraid of spiders." Jaq explained. "He was getting picked on because of it. So, as if I had done it a thousand times before, I found a way to try to eliminate the fear. You know, bring comfort to the child."

"That's… exactly the opposite of Pitch." Daichi looked at the girl.

"I'm aware of that, thank you." Jaq sighed. "He brings fear. And I seem to eliminate them."

"Is that what you did to Issa too?" Daichi asked. "Anna told me about it."

"Yes… at least, I'm trying to."

"What's she afraid of?"

"Pitch."

Daichi froze. Sure, it seems to be normal. But for Pitch to be the girl's worst fear of some sort? That seems too much.

"But alas, it's too great for me to handle."

"Have you helped the boy?" Daichi asked. Instead of answering him, Jaq held out her hand for him to take.

"Trust me." Jaq spoke softly.

With hesitation, Daichi grabbed her hand.

Instantly, darkness swarmed over him. At first, he was afraid. Like he wanted to scream. But then that feeling soon changed as he felt his stomach somersault. It was a nasty feeling. Then, after a few minutes, sunlight greeted him once more. Instead of being happy that the darkness disappeared, he just sat against the fence beside him.

"I understand that you're a bit disoriented with that." Jaq chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

"Nope." Daichi shook his head repeatedly as beads of sweat ran down his face. "Never do that again."

"Are you alright?" Jaq furrowed her eyebrow. Daichi nodded and used the fence to help him up.

"So, where are we?" Daichi looked at the girl. Now he understood why the girl always stays in the dark. With her pale skin, she looked so translucent against the sunlight. It's like he could pass through her.

"France, of course." She replied with a slight smile. Then, she lifted herself up with her sand and she sat on the fence.

"How the hell?" Daichi squinted his eyes and looked at Jaq. Jaq chuckled and helped him up with her sand, making him sit by her side. Then she pointed at a boy with brown feathery hair.

"That's him." Jaq whispered. "Killian."

Daichi watched the boy. He was about nine with a tan skin. He was playing with his friends with a huge smile plastered on his face. With that look, no one would ever have imagined that the boy was afraid of a simple spider.

"Watch this." Jaq said as she waved her hand, creating a silver spider. Soon, the spider crawled its way to the back of young Killian. Daichi saw how Killian froze. He screamed and patted off the spider. But then, his frightened face soon melted away. He approached the spider the called out to his friends. Soon, the littlest children were circling around the silver spider.

"He isn't.. afraid anymore." Daichi muttered.

"Oh, he's still afraid." Jaq said, smiling as the boys played with the spider. "I mean, did you hear that _scream_?"

"But he's playing with it."

"Yeah, but he's still afraid you see." Jaq looked at Daichi. "He doesn't mind it approaching him. But the moment it touches him without him wanting it, he'll freak. So let's just say his phobia reduced to an irrational fear. I'm still trying to work it out."

"So, can you fix Issa?" Daichi looked at her.

"I don't know, really I don't." Jaq frowned. She then opened her palm for Daichi to take. "Come on, we have to go."

"Great."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

"I can't believe I'm gonna do this." Jaq muttered to herself. There she was, standing on top of a mountain at the Pole, preparing to jump. No worries, she wasn't going to kill herself (even if that's what she had always wanted do to (even if she's already dead)). Instead she was going to jump in that activity the others call a 'trust fall'. Jaq had heard of it before of course. She saw people do it. But never did she see a person doing that activity with the person falling from a two thousand feet Mountain. And guess who was going to catch her. It's none other than Jack Frost. And no. She can't use her magic or else they were gonna tie her. So, Jaq cursed under her breath as she looked at the other Guardians (except for Issa) below.

"Ready, Jackie?!" Jack Frost grinned from below, with the howling Northern Winds blowing across his Snow White face.

"You better catch me, Frost!" Jaq growled. Oh why did she agree in this.

"Jack, you're gonna catch her right?" Anna looked at the frost covered boy, who was smirking. "Jack?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course I am." Jack replied with his smirking growing larger. At that point, Anna regretted to suggest the activity.

"You do know that you can't really identify trust with this activity, right?!" Jaq gelled from atop of the mountain, hoping tot talk some sense to the other Guardians. Now she was wondering if they were just telling her to do this for entertainment.

"Just jump!" Daichi yelled back. Is he amused with this? Yes, yes he is. Why? One, because he's looking at the girl who they once feared (and they're still a wee bit scared) being afraid of falling. And two, there's a possibility that Jack won't catch her.

Up in the mountain, Jaq took a deep breath before looking at the visible moon above.

"Oh you must be enjoying this, do you?" Jaq muttered, her amber orbs frozen at the silver entity at the sky. She rolled her eyes and looked back down. "Here goes nothing. I am gonna jump now!"

With one swift movement, she was falling. She could feel the gravity tugging in to her body as she was inching closer and closer to the powdery ground. Her dark long hair was flying everywhere, making it messier than before. And the cold winter air was rushing through her gains, along with adrenaline that she missed so much. The experience would have been fun, if only she hadn't noticed that she was only at least two hundred and fifty feet off the ground.

"Jack, I think now's the time?" Rianne looked at the white-haired boy, who didn't reply. He just kept his smirk plastered on his face.

"Oi, Do it now." Bunnymund, who was thumping his foot on the ground rapidly, glared at Jack.

"Jack she's seventy feet from the ground!" Daichi shrieked. As much as he wanted to see Jaq be splattered on the ground, he's too afraid to see what the girl would do to them if that happened.

' _I'm gonna kill him._ ' Jaq said to herself as she was drawing near to the ground. She was tempted to use her powers, but she decided not to. After all, if the Frost boy doesn't catch her, she will have a reason to use her powers on him. Now she was only a few feet from the ground, where she could hear the others commanding Jack Frost to catch her now. When Jaq saw Jack Frost not do anything but stand there, she immediately prepared herself for the fall.

Only it never came.

Instead, she felt the cold winter air take her up in the sky and pass the clouds. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was held in some sort of snowy wind. Looking around, she saw the peaceful sky, with nothing but the silver moon shining across the land.

Then suddenly, she heard chuckling behind her. She turned around and saw Jack Frost.

"Did you actually think I was gonna let you fall?" He snickered, holding on to that stick (or staff whatever) of his.

Jaq playfully glared at him and stuck her tongue out. Jack gave her a grin and offered his hand. "Come on, lets go."

Slowly, they descended on the ground.

Once they got there, Jaq was tackled by a hug from Anna. She kept checking if there were bruises on her face. And when she did find some, Jaq told her that it she woke up with those scars.

"I told you it weren't so bad." Anna gave her a smile.

Jaq smiles back, looking at the other Guardians behind Anna who were scolding Jack. "Yeah, I suppose so."

* * *

Anna frowned as she knocked on Issa's door. It was the day after the trust fall and the others were practicing there powers outside. Yes, even Jaq. They were trying to think of tactics, so they know what to do when Pitch Black actually arrives. Rianne and Jaq even manage to combined their powers. Meanwhile, Issa was still locked in her room. Not even making a single sound or even a single clue that she was alive.

As Anna knocked, she knew Issa wasn't going to answer. So, just like any other day she went in. But she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her side, only to be met by no one. Slowly, she let go of the knob and started looking around. Walking slowly with her bow ready, she tried to see if there was someone else among their midst. Until she saw a shadow. Slowly, she pulled her arrow, prepared to pierce the person on their clothes.

"Anna?" She jumped and let go of the arrow. The arrow landed on a wall, making a crack on its spot. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Anna turned around and saw Rianne with her hand on her mouth.

"It's not your fault, Ri." Anna sighed. She must just be really bad at aiming. "What got you here?"

"Oh, yeah." Rianne muttered. "We're gonna visit the other villages."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

Daichi knew that it was a bad idea to go there. Why would somebody go looking for danger? But oh well, it was Jaq they were talking about. They would've still been at the pole, doing whatever with their abilities, if and only if Jaq didn't decide to check on the other villages. But no. She decided to suddenly blurt out about the villages. And the other Guardians bring them, they wanted to go there and check the citizens. If Daichi has the choice, he would've just stayed at the pole and not give a damn about them. Well, he gives a damn, but he rather lose the color of his skin caving himself in his room, instead of losing them when Pitch Black kills the living daylight out of him. Yes, kills. Not scares.

But no. As a Guardian, it was his duty and responsible to protect and whatnot.

So, instead of being in his lovely room, tinkering and tinkering from dust til dawn, he joined the others at visiting the villages. And now, he got paired up with Anna to visit the one at England.

"So, What now?" Anna looked at Daichi as they walked through the forest Jaq said they should go to. She had said that just walk ahead and they'll find the village.

"Let's just hope that Jaq was telling the truth." Daichi said in his surprisingly cold voice.

"Don't tell me that you still don't trust her." Anna caught up to him. Cause between the two of them, Daichi was the one blessed with height.

"You do?" Daichi looked at Anna with a hard gaze. He didn't really know why he was acting to cranky, but he sure damn is.

"Of course I do." Anna answered with no hesitation or whatsoever. Daichi would sometimes wonder about it. Wonder about how she can just easily trust somebody. She doesn't even really know Jaq. For all he knows, the only thing all of them knew about Jaq is her name. And that she's the daughter of Mother Nature Of course. And that she's dangerous. So how could the girl walking beside him easily trusted her?

"I trusted you didn't I?"

Daichi stopped dead in his tracks. His forest eyes following the red haired girl that just walk passed him.

"And the only thing I know about you is your name and your attitude problem."

"I do not have an attitude problem!" He ran towards the girl who had a smug look on her face. Oh he wanted to wipe it off so bad.

"Look, the point is, Jaq isn't that bad." Anna spoke. "And mind you, I know more about her than you do."

"You do know that you could get hurt, right?" He muttered, only loud enough for Anna to hear. "You sound like you trust her with all your heart. But what what if she doesn't return it, and she's only using you."

With that, Anna went silent.

"Thought so." Daichi rolled his eyes and walked on.

"Well, I don't care." He suddenly heard Anna say behind him. He ignored her and continued to walk on. And as he walked, he could hear the loud footsteps of the short girl that was trying to catch up. "I don't care if she doesn't trust me like I trust her. The important thing is that _I_ trust. Nothing else matters. Just like when you love someone. When people love someone, they tend to be blind. All they know is that they love them."

"Wow, relating love to trust. Typical." Daichi mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"I said love isn't blind." Daichi said, knowing that the girl was genuine about not hearing what he had said. Sure, she has a Cupid's eye, but her ears? Not so much. "Love makes _you_ blind."

"Love expert alert!" Anna suddenly yelled.

"Hey keep it down!" Daichi growled.

"It's not like somebody could hear us."

"We're in a forest, Anna." Daichi rolled his eyes. "Mother Nature might suddenly cause the ground to open and eat ya."

"Killjoy." Anna mumbled.

"I heard that!"

"I meant to make you hear!"

"Wha- no you weren't! You were mumbling!"

Say what you say, the two of them had the biggest arguements at the pole. The other Guardians expected it to be Jaq and Daichi, but Jaq kept her distance from the grumpy boy. And since she kept her distance, it was Anna who managed to push all his buttons. Yes, she was nice. But she was almost Daichi's opposite. She was nice, he was moody. She was sweet, he was grumpy. They're attitudes are contrasting. She's optimistic, he's a pessimist. She's all about best case scenario, and he's always about the opposite.

"Well, why do you always look at the bad side of things?" Anna frowned. "Will it _kill you_ to actually think of a happy thought?"

"Yes it would." Daichi rolled his eyes.

"Can you at least try to not be so serious all the time?" Anna frowned at the brunette boy.

"Mmhmm, yeah sure." He answered with no emotion whatsoever. Anna rolled her eyes and huffed before catching up with the boy.

"Come on, Seriously." Anna frowned again.

"Can you just leave me alone?" Daichi walked on with long strides, knowing that Anna couldn't catch up with it. But Anna wasn't gonna give up that fast. She ran next to Daichi.

"Actually, I can't leave you alone." Anna spoke. "We were assigned as partners, Daichi. Meaning we have to stick together, whether you like it or not."

"Well, keep your distance." He grumbled.

"How can we stick together if I keep my distance?"

"We really don't have to stick together."

"This mission's dangerous. Daichi. It's best if we stay close."

Daichi stopped in his tracks and faced the girl at his side. He forced a smile that looked absolutely fake, as he crossed his arms and rapidly tapped his foot on the ground.

"You know what." Daichi said. "Sure, lets stay close. But not close okay? Maybe a little distance." With that said, he pushed Anna. Not hard of course, maybe just a slight. It would've been no harm at all. Only if Anna haven't tripped on a rock, sending her backwards.

Into a dark hole.

"Anna!" Daichi yelled as he ran to the hole Anna fell in. What it was doing there, he didn't know. Because who, in their right minds, would cover a hole with leaves. He thought he only saw that in movies!? God he's gonna die.

"Help!" Anna shrieked as she dangled on a branch from the soil. For all she knows, it might be a tree's root.

"Anna just hold on!" Daichi yelled in frustration as he looked around. _Think, Daichi. Think._ What could he possibly make a rope out of. Or a ladder. But looking around, there were neither vines nor strong branches around. So, Daichi resolved to the old fashioned way. "Take my hand!" He yelled as he leaned into the hole.

Even with both their hands outstretched, it wouldn't meet.

Daichi tried to lean in closer, but he was reaching his limit.

Anna tried to pull herself up, but the branch was reaching its limit.

"Anna you can do this." Daichi said, boring his eyes into hers. "Just- take my hand!"

With all her might, Anna tried to pulled herself up. She knew that the branch would break if enough weight was put to it. And looking down at the dark abyss below, she knew it wasn't gonna be a soft landing.

As she looked back at Daichi, she saw the fearful look in his eyes. She knew she had to try.

And with one final pull, their fingers almost touched.

Almost.

"DAICHI!" Anna screeched as she came tumbling down the hole. Around her, she could only see darkness as the light above disappeared into a speck. She didn't know if she would ever manage to come back. Because even after now, she hadn't reached the bottom yet. Tears started forming in her eyes as the darkness consumed her. And finally, she landed.

"Ow." Anna winced as she pushed herself up from the soil. She didn't know where she exactly was. The only thing she knows is that she was at the bottom of a dark hole. Or maybe it wasn't a hole anymore. For all she knows, it might already be a cliff. Staring up at the white dot above, she knew it was useless to shout. So, with it being the only choice she had left, she tried to check what's there underneath with her.

* * *

"This is getting out of hand." Jack Frost stared at the zombie-like people walking at the village in Paris. It wasn't like the one back in Mexico, with people running around with fear; instead, the people there looked like as if they have lost all hope. Their faces were sulken, with dark bags around their eyes. All of them looked so translucent against the bright sun. But the similarity was the trails of black sand on their heads. leading to who knows what.

He then looked at the pale girl beside her, who had the same trail in her hand. But it wasn't a black one, it was her own silvery-black sand.

"I know." Jaq muttered as her eyes followed the young innocent children who had frowns upon their faces. Slowly, she approached a young brunette in a braid, sitting at the bench by herself.

"What are you doing?" Jack looked at the girl.

She didn't reply. Instead she sat down beside the little girl. With a frown on her face, she looked at Jack. "Can't you do something about this? You are the guardian of fun right?"

"I don't think it works that way." Jack shook his head. "As much as I want to, I think the person needs to have happiness inside her…. Which sadly, she seemed…"

Jaq shook her head and sighed. With a deep breathe, she placed a hand on top of the little girl's head. Suddenly, memories came flooding in her. Emily, the little girl, was an orphan. Never had friends. Mistreated. Abandoned. And a longing fear of isolation.

Jaq removed her hand. It was something she couldn't heal. Not even a bit.

"What exactly do these do." Jack Frost furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to freeze the black sand. But to no avail, it retained back to its original state.

"It induces fear." Jaq replied as she stood up and looked around.

"And that?" He pointed at the trail of sand emitting from Jaq's hand.

"It's connected to Issa." Jaq muttered. "I'm still trying to ease her fear."

"So, that thing can be as long as that?" He pointed at the black trails from the people.

Jaq nodded. "It can stretch as much as it can. The problem about these is I don't know how to remove it."

"Maybe if we figure out where these lead, we could break this curse or something." Jack Frost spoke as he flew up. With a sigh, she followed him. "It's… gone."

The trails faded the higher they go up, making them unable to figure out its origin.

"Ah!" Jaq winced as her ears rang. Losing her focus, she almost fell. Lucky for her, she was caught by Jack Frost.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked her as he pulled her close to him. The girl nodded and looked up at the silver moon above. Then she looked at him with fear in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Anna… she's in trouble." Jaq's voice cracked.


End file.
